The indelible image of the 2008 “Redeem Team” is undeniably Kobe Bryant with a finger pressed to his lips. This defiant gesture, following a crucial fouled three-pointer in the gold medal game, was laden with symbolism. Kobe wasn`t merely seeking silence in Beijing`s Wukesong Arena, where his Chinese fans were already roaring; he aimed to silence the notion that American basketball no longer reigned supreme globally.
This iconic replay will be a highlight this weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts, as the 2008 U.S. Men`s Olympic Team is formally enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Bryant`s 13 fourth-quarter points that day, particularly the four-point play that pierced Spain`s hopes, stand as foundational elements of the team`s legend.
The redemption narrative is the most palpable aspect of that summer. Team USA, having suffered the humiliation of a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, carried the weight of suffocating shame for four years. For Bryant, this also marked a moment of personal redemption, as he is posthumously inducted into the Hall for a second time, a testament to his career`s trajectory.
While Bryant`s memory will naturally be central to the team`s celebration, the story of the “Redeem Team” extends far beyond just that fourth quarter or even that single summer.
That gold medal was the culmination of an arduous journey, and many of the players now rightly honored by the Hall of Fame emerged with as many emotional scars as hard-earned sweat equity.
Following his inaugural practice as the new head coach of Team USA in July 2006, Mike Krzyzewski made a pivotal tactical announcement. This took place at UNLV in Las Vegas, the national team`s new base after Jerry Colangelo assumed leadership as the program`s savior and executive director. Colangelo had been granted full roster control and a significantly expanded budget, an agreement secured with then-NBA Commissioner David Stern as part of his aggressive recruitment of the seasoned executive.
Krzyzewski and Colangelo embarked on a tour that blended listening to concerns with articulating a new vision. They repeatedly vowed to respect the international game, acknowledging how it threatened to surpass the Americans – a reality evident not only in Athens but also at the 2002 World Championships, where Team USA`s 59-game international winning streak ended, leaving them in sixth place.
A reverence for rules, opposing players, and tactical finesse was promised. Yet, after his very first workout as coach, Krzyzewski declared: “Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I do not play zone.”
Krzyzewski, mentored by then-Army coach Bobby Knight, was a staunch proponent of fierce man-to-man defense at West Point. Duke players in the 1990s under Coach K were not known for abandoning individual assignments for a 2-3 zone. This declaration, however, hardly aligned with the spirit of embracing the international game he had advocated, given that zone defense had long been an effective strategy for European teams.
By 2007, Team USA was back at UNLV, facing the imperative to win the FIBA AmeriCup to secure Olympic qualification.
The summer of 2006 had concluded with another setback when a restructured Team USA was humbled by Greece at the World Championships. Their defense had been shredded by fundamental pick-and-roll plays. Similar to 2004, they returned home with bronze medals, quickly relegated to a drawer and forgotten.
Yet, on the first possession of the opening game in 2007 against Venezuela, Krzyzewski`s team deployed a zone defense.
This moment isn`t etched in collective memory like Bryant`s game-winning three-pointer, Dwyane Wade`s iconic behind-the-back alley-oop in Beijing, or a powerful LeBron James dunk. Nevertheless, these trials and lessons are equally woven into the fabric of the team`s journey, long before they ever boarded the plane for China.
Four players who will enter the Hall as part of the “Redeem Team” this weekend possess a profound understanding of that demanding path. Wade, James, Carmelo Anthony, and Carlos Boozer were all part of the immense disappointment of the 2004 bronze medal, which ended Team USA`s era of Olympic dominance.
“I`m sitting on the podium receiving the bronze medal like `this sh– was a waste of my time,`” James recounted in the “Redeem Team” documentary released by Netflix three years ago. “At that moment, I definitely wasn`t playing for Team USA again.”
Three additional players who would eventually claim gold in 2008 – Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, and Chris Paul – joined Anthony, James, and Wade on the 2006 team in Japan for the World Championships, an event intended to mark a resurgence of American winning ways.
They were all part of a cohort that responded to Colangelo`s call for a multi-summer commitment to the national team. For James and Anthony, this meant dedicating months of their summers in four of their first five NBA seasons.
Instead of achieving any reward in 2006, they were exposed by the Greeks, who exploited weaknesses in the American roster. Despite the star power and coaching talent, Team USA appeared powerless to counter.
Some progress and team building may have occurred, but ultimately, the prevailing mood was, once again, one of despair.
“When we lost to Greece, and I lie to you not, we didn`t want to come home,” Paul shared in the book “Basketball: A Love Story.” “I`m telling you, we did not want to come home. That`s one of the toughest losses that I`ve ever felt.”
However, if there was a true turning point for Team USA on its journey to the 2008 gold, it might have transpired outside Tokyo. The day after the loss to Greece, the team found itself trailing by nine points against Manu Ginobili`s Argentina, the 2004 Olympic champions who had previously defeated the U.S. en route to their gold.
At a juncture where Team USA could easily have faltered – a characteristic the Americans had sadly exhibited during a string of international losses from 2002 until the previous day – the players rallied. They turned the game around, pulling away for a victory and partially avenging their Olympic defeat to the Argentines. This marked the beginning of a winning streak that would span over a decade.
Wade, James, and Anthony collectively scored 69 points, then committed, almost on the spot, to return the following summer (though Wade ultimately did not play due to injury) to qualify for the Olympics after their failure in Japan.
They were deeply unhappy – but resolutely determined.
During the 2008 gold medal game in Beijing, the highly seasoned Spanish team closed the gap to just two points against the Americans in the fourth quarter, prompting Krzyzewski to call a timeout.
The legendary coach later reflected that, despite the numerous NBA championship rings, college titles, MVPs, and hundreds of millions in net worth present in that huddle, it was likely the most intense moment they had all experienced in their careers. Krzyzewski had prepared remarks, but it was Bryant who took charge.
“There`s plenty of players out here who are nervous,” Bryant stated in the documentary about the situation. “I know they`re feeling the pressure much more than I am. I know I`m ready.”
Bryant`s subsequent minutes on the court are etched into the record books. This display of leadership will forever be cherished by everyone involved with the program. Yet, while it may have been the most memorable, it might not have been the most defining.
Nor was it Bryant`s action in pool play against Spain earlier in the Olympics. He stunned his teammates by announcing in the locker room before the game that he knew the exact play Spain would open with and intended to deliberately barrel over his friend and Los Angeles Lakers teammate Pau Gasol. His goal was to send a clear message to everyone about his unwavering commitment to the endeavor. True to his word, he did so, sending a bewildered Gasol to the hardwood with a scowl just seconds after tip-off.
However, Bryant`s leadership campaign truly began the summer prior, when the Americans had to win the FIBA AmeriCup event to secure their Olympic berth.
Bryant`s influence within USA Basketball is legendary, exemplified during the pre-tournament training camp. He intentionally ensured he was in the hotel lobby when teammates returned from late-night Vegas excursions, so they would witness him heading to the gym for a pre-dawn workout.
It was during this period that James, eager to elevate his leadership following his first NBA Finals appearance months earlier, began to closely observe Bryant`s habits and style. James later credited this experience with helping him discover his own voice and leadership ethic, a trait from which USA Basketball continues to benefit in the modern era. Soon, James joined Bryant in those early workouts, and other teammates followed suit.
James led the 2024 Team USA to a fifth consecutive Olympic gold in Paris, 16 years after the streak began. He set the tone with another intensely serious training camp in Las Vegas. In many ways, that commitment can be traced back to Bryant and the precedent established in 2007.
Anthony and Howard are double honorees in Springfield this week, recognized for their distinguished playing careers and their pivotal roles in securing Beijing gold. They become the fifth and sixth members of the 2008 team to be inducted into the Hall for their individual careers, joining Bryant, Jason Kidd, Wade, and Bosh.
James and Paul, both remarkably still active in the NBA past the age of 40, will make history as the first active NBA players to be enshrined.
Krzyzewski and Colangelo have also been honored, as has “Redeem Team” assistant coach Jim Boeheim. Boeheim, after three Olympic golds and two World Cup golds together, eventually helped convince Krzyzewski to incorporate significant zone defense into his Duke strategy.
Overall, the “Redeem Team” already stands as one of history`s most decorated squads – though the 1992 “Dream Team,” with its 11 Hall of Famers, remains unparalleled.
Its place in basketball history is undeniably secure, its influence visible across the gold medals won in London (2012), Rio (2016), Tokyo (2021), and again last year in Paris. This long span of years and numerous victories, when viewed in aggregate, can sometimes diminish the appreciation for individual achievements.
This current celebration aims to ensure the team`s unique significance is properly acknowledged. The reasons why the “Redeem Team” remains indelible truly began long before, and extended far beyond, just 2008.
“When the gold medals were distributed in Beijing, `The Star-Spangled Banner` being played, the flag being raised, it was a moment of total completion,” Colangelo remarked when the Hall of Fame honor was announced earlier this year.
“Very seldom does someone have an opportunity to have a game plan, watch it perfectly executed, and achieve the desired result. That`s precisely what happened, and it set our USA Basketball team on a course over the last 20 years to a multitude of gold medals.”
