Kobe Bryant was a very special character, and a sickly competitor. This story about Team USA’s 2008 Olympics campaign told by Coach K is yet another proof.
The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games basketball tournament is historic in more than one way. Because the United States was on a mission after the failure of Athens in 2004. Because it therefore brought together one of the strongest teams ever assembled. Probably the second in history if their coach is to be believed. Because it has faced some of the best international teams in history, like Argentina or Spain.
Dream Team vs Redeem Team, who wins? Coach K ends the suspense
Kobe, taulier among the tauliers
And because the final of its Olympics is certainly the best FIBA all-time match. A USA – Spain Team during which Kobe Bryant put them clearly on the table. La Roja is playing at an unimaginable level. And if Dwyane Wade shines for three quarters (27 pts in the end), the Americans begin to panic when their opponents come back to 2 points (91-89) 8 minutes from the end.
Team USA is in the rough. Will this host of stars fail in their redemption mission? In the field, they are not proud and all seem to win by doubt. Except one, who doesn’t know this feeling. A shot on one foot, three assists in a row, a 3-point in the corner, and a 4-point action that sends a huge Rudy Fernandez to the bench for five faults and goes 9 lengths ahead to the Redeem Team at 3 minutes from the end.
Kobe Bryant scored 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, showed he was the boss even in the middle of the greats and offered the title to the USA. Yet his initial role was not that of Team USA’s head scorer. Far from it, as Coach K reports in a fascinating conversation with JJ Redick dans le podcast The Old Man and the Three.
Duke’s technician explains that when they started wanting to build a culture at USA Basketball, they added to the workforce Kobe Bryant, Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd. The objective was to supervise young shoots and transmit to LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony values and leadership.
Kobe Bryant on special mission
But Kobe Bryant clearly wasn’t there just to play the veteran mentor. But not either to score as he knew so well how to do it.
“So we’re getting ready to go to Beijing, I’m with my staff in Vegas. And all of a sudden there is a knock on my door, two days before departure, and it’s Kobe. He asks me, ‘Coach, can I talk to you for a minute?’ (…)
‘I need to ask you a favor.’ I answer him: ‘Yes what is it?’ He said to me ‘I want to defend on the best outside of each team that we are going to face.’ He’s the best NBA scorer, he’s the best player in the league at the time. He had 7 games at 50 points that year. And he knew he would have to switch roles a little bit and be a leader. And he says to me ‘I want to defend on the best outside.’
He pauses and… you see, his eyes, he and Jordan had the same eyes, they were killing you with their eyes… and he leans forward and says to me ‘Coach, I promise I will destroy them’.
I’m like ‘Holy shit, this is good!’ “
From the first training, Kobe Bryant keeps his word. A little too much.
“The first practice, he doesn’t take a shot. Not one. I’ll see him after that. ‘Coach I promised you, I will destroy them’. I said to him ‘I saw you destroying teams offensively. Are you gonna fucking shoot? ‘ He had that smile. And then he always said that I was the first coach in history to ask him to shoot. “
Manu Ginobili in the viewfinder
The Los Angeles Lakers star had made a point of locking down Manu Ginobili, whom he considered the most talented outside of the tournament. A real obsession. So much so that it turned out that nothing else interested him:
“He had this vision of important moments. And he knew that for us to win the gold medal, we would have to beat Argentina, in the final or before. And he wanted to defend on Ginobili. Believe me, he had it all figured out. It wasn’t just to set an example for his team.
So we play Argentina in the half, and we lead by 20 points and Ginobili is injured. So there you say to yourself that we will gain 40 points. And it actually becomes a game with 6 points difference, because now (Kobe) is no longer interested at all. This is how he was. “
In the end, Team USA won by 20 points. And therefore joined Spain for this mythical final. A final where Kobe Bryant’s instincts of scorer and alpha male were awakened in the most beautiful way.
An amazing Kobe story from Coach K @jj_redick @talter pic.twitter.com/4YxwZGn2sS
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) October 15, 2020
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