The upcoming 2024 Olympics has led NBA buffs to switch their entire attention toward Team USA. As the big event is the talk of the town currently, San Antonio Spurs legend Tony Parker decided to rope in some of the best Olympic performers to shed some light on an iconic rivalry i.e. USA vs Spain. One of the most iconic games that define the rivalry between the two countries is the 2008 Olympics Finals. 2x NBA Champion Pau Gasol gave an insight into how the tables turned. Notably, he also mentioned the X factor. 

The 2023 Hall of Famers Dwyane Wade, Tony Parker, and Dirk Nowitzki couldn’t agree more. So, who was the game changer in 2008? 

Pau Gasol reveals the moment he accepted his defeat against Team USA

The USA was expected to win continuously for decades after the 1992 Olympics. That is the impact that the ‘Dream Team’ led by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had on their nation. However, a few European countries decided to change the narrative soon after. One of them was Spain, which was led by the Los Angeles Lakers legend Pau Gasol. 

The 2004 Olympics was an utter disappointment for Team USA as they lost to Argentina in the semi-finals despite having Tim Duncan, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James on their team. 

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USA decided to make some major changes in their team for the 2008 Olympics. Their leading scorer was Dwyane Wade who averaged 16 points a game. On the other hand, Pau Gasol who was in his prime, averaged nearly 15 points and more than 10 rebounds for Spain. 

The odds were favorable for the Spaniards due to USA’s defeat in 2004. However, the game changer was not just Wade, but also Kobe Bryant.

Read more: Hours After Flying Kiss to “Brother” Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant’s Wife Vanessa Sends Heartwarming Wish to HoF Bound NBA Veteran

Gasol detailed it in the show, “I thought we had a chance… I thought we were close”, until, “Kobe kinda stepped up at the end.“

In classic Black Mamba fashion, Kobe closed the game out strong. But to be fair, he started with a head full of steam too.

Kobe Bryant’s iconic Finals performance

LeBron James’ ‘Redeem Team’ had some of the best scorers in the world. Yet, the aggression was only from Kobe Bryant.

Let’s not forget how the Black Mamba pushed down his teammate Gasol purposely during the first play of the game. And that’s despite their lovely brotherhood. 

Apart from that, the late legend dropped 20 points and also sealed the game in the Finals alongside Wade. In addition, Bryant gave another disappointing defeat to the Spaniard in the 2012 Olympics as well. 

Now you know why Spain and the USA are rivals. Let’s hope we get another match-up in the 2024 Olympics!

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