The US basketball team was dealt a setback at the Basketball World Cup when Lithuania beat them 110-104. The way the Lithuanian team has become a thorn in US’ side speaks of the growing prowess of European talent on the hardwood. That also speaks of American players struggling to measure up to the competition across the pond. The one who saw it coming was Kobe Bryant.

Bryant reared his basketball skills both in Europe and in America. Before USA’s performance would come into question, Bryant had an ominous predictation about the new generation of American NBA players as highlighted by the YouTuber Dreamserspro.

Kobe Bryant slammed the American basketball system

After the US basketball team lost to Lithuania at the World Cup, a debate has been raging about where are American players falling short. It’s reflected in the growing influx of foreign players like Victor Wembanyama getting projected as the next big star of the NBA. In 2016, leading up to his retirement, Kobe Bryant had a lot to vent about the AAU and how it compared to the European training methods.

Dreamerspro on YouTube analyzed Bryant’s prediction after the World Cup setback and reflected on why the US basketball system has not taken Kobe’s take seriously.

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“Kobe Bryant had a pulse of what was happening in the United States and internationally as it pertained to the NBA“, the host said. By Bryant’s standard, the problem starts from AAU basketball.

He’s not the first NBA pro to criticize the AAU, but it was significant because he had experience both with AAU basketball and training in Europe. After his final NBA game in 2016, Bryant said, “It’s a reward system,” about AAU. Calling it a “showcase,” he said that’s bad for the sport of basketball.

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As the YouTube channel reiterated, the AAU is shaping young athletes for college and further for the pros but it doesn’t go beyond that. “The moment you stop innovating, the moment you stop thinking of ways to be more efficient to get better, you will suffer,” the analyst said on YouTube. This is something Bryant had been harping on for several years.

Bryant saw the lack of basics in the American players

Bryant, who also had two Olympic golds and a FIBA gold, said the latest crop of AAU players lack the fundamentals. He’d go on to say that it was in his generation of AAU when things started to go downhill. But he considered himself lucky to get the best of both worlds. “I grew up in Europe and everything there was still fundamental, so I learned all the basics.”

Philadelphia-born Kobe grew up in Italy when his dad, Joe Bryant, was playing professional basketball in Europe. That’s where Kobe also picked up the very skills that would make him a bonafide basketball legend.

“In Italy, the Red Auerbachs… all those great coaches were doing clinics and camps in Europe… the club coaches were following their advice and their fundamentals like the Bible, and they were teaching all of us kids that type of stuff. We’re a product of that. It’s a big difference,” The ‘Black Mamba’ had said after retiring.

Bryant lamented what he called a “disservice” to the young athletes they were raising. If the US basketball system wants to restore its former glory, it would take heed of Kobe Bryant’s words.

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