Fans remember Kobe Bryant for his intense desire to win. Mamba was one of the few who would lay their life on the line for winning a game of basketball. He won most accolades available to an NBA athlete and also led Team USA to win the Olympic gold medal in 2008. Recently a rather telling incident regarding Kobe came forward which highlighted his passion for the game of basketball.

The Dream Team won consecutive Olympic gold medals in the ’90s. Then, Team USA experienced a dry spell. Somehow, the team was unable to claim the top prize in the tournament. Until the year 2008, when a team of superstars from the NBA, including LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were assembled with the singular objective of winning the Olympic gold.

Bizarre Kobe Bryant story comes to light

Kobe was the main man in Team USA’s 2008 run. His Mamba mentality was on full display at the Beijing Olympic Games. The Mamba wanted to win the top prize in international basketball. The USA was taking on Spain in the finals. Notably, the matchup included Kobe Bryant squaring up against teammate, Pau Gasol.

During the very first play of the night, Kobe decided to set the tone. As Gasol received the ball behind the three-point line, Bryant, running of a screen, went straight through Pau’s chest. The foul was no mistake. Kobe had intentionally shoved his Los Angeles Lakers teammate to the ground.

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According to the Athletic, the head coach of Team USA, the renowned Coach K, revealed, “First of all, Kobe told the guys he was going to do that and that he was going to do something.”

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The legendary Duke coach even revealed his thoughts on Kobe’s intentions-

“Then when he did it, it was his way of telling his teammates, ‘Look, I’m not a Laker. He’s my brother on the Lakers and I love him, but he’s going to take our gold medal away and that’s not going to happen,” he explained.

Pau Gasol was the leader of the Spanish national team. Kobe made it clear that he was not going to let his teammate and friend get in the way of Team USA’s win.

LeBron James shocked by Kobe’s push

In 2022, the $206 billion streaming company, Netflix, released a documentary on the fabled Redeem Team. It revealed what went on behind the scenes during Team USA’s 2008 Olympics run.

Interestingly, a key moment came from the King. LeBron James was surprised at the passion displayed by Kobe.

James said, “Kobe said he is going to set the tone at the start of the game And he said ‘I’m running through Pau’s f*****g chest.” 

It’s a safe assumption that the basketball world will never witness anyone like Kobe Bryant ever again. The five-time champion definitely left a void when he tragically passed away in 2020.

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