It's been nearly 15 years since the Redeem Team won gold at the 2008 Olympics and many fans have forgotten the true importance of that team. Hope you enjoy.
Yet Le flop wants more scoring the whole tournament right! Just big difference between a fraud Le flop and a REAL NBA great Kobe. Kobe will find ways to win, while Le floppy will always play the LE SYSTEM
I remember these Olympics like it was yesterday. That and-one 3 followed by the shush to the crowd was ice cold. So cold I even got it tatted. After the 08 finals they said Kobe could not win without Shaq, he could not beat Boston, and the USA was falling behind on the international stage. Weeks after playing in these finals Kobe, instead of having an off season, made US basketball great again and then won 2 straight championships the following years, beating Boston and getting more rings than Shaq. That guy was the personification of sheer will, RIP
Kobe brought something to the team that no one else did before, he called all of those players out and told them to their face what he thought of them. A big part of being a good leader is actually calling out your teammates' flaws and telling them upfront what they lack. Which Kobe never shied away from. That team definitely had talent, but they were too scared of holding themselves and their teammates accountable. It might seem stupid for some people but for a team like that which is filled with talent and egos, calling them out and holding them accountable was completely necessary. They also needed a leader, and Kobe was that guy he had the hustle that none of the guys in that team had.
Kobe got a lot of hate for being the only person who succeeded in being "Like Mike." Tells you how fake that advertisement was to some people, when being "Like Mike" was only cool if no one actually got to do it. RIP Kobe. Jordan can be everyone else's GOAT, but Kobe was the one who loved the game more and showed more passion for it. If anyone can be an ambassador to the sport, no one comes close to Kobe.
One correction, kobe didn't miss the playoffs multiple times after shaq left. He only missed in 2005 which was due to him missing 17 games and Lamar Odom missing 18 games. They were only 10 games out of 8th place and those 17 games the lakers possibly would've won 10 of those games.
Absolutely correct before Kobe’s injury they were firmly in a playoff position it was only after Kobe’s injury the team dropped. People never bring this up Because it doesn’t fit their narrative that has to do with LeBron James
Or lost. That was Lamar Odom's first time there and the chemistry was just not there. And it's not embarrassing that the Lakers lost or didn't get to the playoffs. It was actually expected. The team was broken up and still rebuilding. Just take the L and let it go. Kobe can't carry a team by himself. No one can.
@@younglove3362 no one made about it however it still doesn’t take away that Kobe and Lamar both missed 10+ games which if they didn’t they would go and make the playoffs, such as next year. Kobe only missed the playoffs once In his prime and that has to be remembered
2008-10 was Kobe's triumphant peak. MVP, 2008 olympics, and then two chips. Hardest working player of all time, and clearly one of the all time greats. People can have their GOAT arguments, but Kobe is my favorite player, and I have been watching this sport since 1970.
im a kobe fan, and at one point in the past few years, i wanted to put lebron ahead of kobe. But looking back at a lot of footage, context of competition, and the CONTEXT of the stats. I gotta say, if offensive fouls and travels were called properly, lebron would have not even half of his career points LMAO
@@yatororain917 EXACTLY! Truth is, rule changes 04 & 09 favored LeBron where, not only could he bulldoze his way to the paint, but also low key travel lmao
Kobe was something else. I'm a 90s kid and bulls/jordan fan and hated the kobe comparison but he is the closest to mj and no one else has even come close. I respect kobe's game and loved watching his final game the man is special. Will never be another like him
I loved Jordan and even Kobe came I was super happy because I knew I had extra years of watching Jordan. Now without neither of them the NBA is straight trash.
thank you for this video, Kobe is the most important player in Olympic basketball history. We were a disgrace before he set the tone, he changed the culture of the team and made it possible to win the gold in the olympics that followed. Rest in paradise Mamba we love and miss you
I'm with the basketball all my life, I memberberry the times well and would not write a "disgrace" just like that. For me it was the peak period of that sport, Spain, Serbia/Yugoslavia, Argentina & Greece were at peak too, all of them not only had 1 of a kind leader but were complete sets. NBA gave foreigners a chance too, not only on C position, so it wasn't that USA was bad, others were damn good too. Next generation without Durant, James, Curry, Howard won't be nearly as good so if others step up it might get interesting, but it doesn't look like that unfortunatly.
@@FirefighterBobby i agree with it being the peak period for foreign basketball, but thats still not an excuse for USA to get 2 bronze medals in a row. Especially not with the talented roster that they had, USA should always be gold medalists regardless of how good the world is
I remember Kobe said that the world is catching up to the NBA. Now the top 5 players in the league all played Euro Ball before coming to the nba. I don’t know why people thought Ayton was better than Luka when Luka played against pros at 16 while Ayton was in high school probably playing against lesser competition
Could it be because American sports fans only watch athletes from, and playing in, America? How many people do you honestly believe follow Euro League basketball, individual players specifically? Outside of the Olympics, no one cares about who plays in/for other countries. They said Giannis was drafted too high and he was booed because no one here knew who he was. Tim Duncan ignored Tony Parker when the Spurs first brought him in because according to Tony, Tim felt there was no way you could when with a European point guard. No one on the Bulls even wanted Kukoc outside of the GM. It's how foreign players have always been viewed. In America they're unknown commodities. It isn't just a Luka thing.
@@kaioken301 I agree, it’s just another form of American racism with all this non-belief in international talent and blindly assuming all American players are better than any international players
@@saebyeolbe_2835 You mean nationalism my guy, not racism. And while there is a percentage of people that believe American athletes to be superior, I think most fans just don't know or care about foreign players due to lack of exposure. Think about it. Outside of Olympic basketball, which is broadcast globally, how would we watch leagues in other countries? How would we even know where to look? Remember, at one point, even the NBA was an unknown commodity outside of the US. It took Jordan coming along to expand the game's popularity. The problem for other countries is that most of their best players are already in the NBA/G-League due to them moving here to make a name for themselves. So there isn't enough talent left in those countries for leagues to sign big tv deals with companies and garner global attention like they'd want. Jerry Krause of the Bulls and Greg Popovich(Back when he was coach and GM) of the Spurs are the two that that pioneered scouting European talent, and the only other guys to carry that torch used to work under the two of them. Maybe Sam Presti of the Thunder, but that's it.
@@kaioken301 In my personal opinion I believe we have stagnated in talent because of the focus on shooting and athleticism. If you have athleticism, you better know how to shoot and if you know how to shoot, you better be athletic. The Ben Simmons situation is a great example since it's similar to Harold Miner's situation in the 90's. The Euroleague is more about fundamentals and system offense. We've been focusing on 3's and athletic ability that we've been stagnant since the 2010's.
Kobe was a lot better player, than LeBron. Kobe was a humble guy, he was compared, to MJ all the time, by everybody, but he said "Mike is Mike. I'm Kobe Bryant. Just let me do me", LeBron on the other hand was comparing himself and not other people, to MJ, taking his 23 number calling himself the GOAT and made a lot of money doing it, for sure. Good for him, but LeBron is a bronz kind of guy, but Kobe is GOLD! Kobe is in my top 3, LBJ is in the top 10. 🙏R.I.P. Kobe🙏
@@johnlemon2916...Nab is different and your lebrick James still have 4 rings after 20+ years of active service in basketball, compared to Kobe That dry joke is on you...After MJ is Kobe
It’s a shame the media hates Kobe Bryant and will do anything to make it seem like he was not a legend and he contributed to nothing good. They’re only agenda hast to do with LeBron James
people really give Tim Duncan a pass for that bronze medal performance in the 04 Olympics. I remember reading a quote from an article at the time. Manu Ginobili said none of his team mates were in awe or scared of any member of that 04 team
I am always so impressed with your content, data, editing and total production. I totally forgot Kobe's performance, and impact, on the Redeem Team. Great job!!
Kobe Bryant had to change the standard of the team and made them dominant.... when Kobe arrived he started talking about the little things that wins it all...
Seriously waiting for the series to get on air so that kids now can see why Kobe needs to be in conversation for top 10 players while everyone is just disrespectful to my idol.
I don't know about the USA but Kobe is considered as one of the GOATs everywhere else. The guy is awe inspiring and very few players do that on a global basis.
This goes to show you why they wouldn’t let Kobe have another superstar on his team with da lakers. The league vetoed Chris Paul from joining the lakers with Kobe but we all know the real reason why. If Kobe played with as many superstars as KD or Lebron, he’d have AT LEAST 10 rings. 04 USA team filled with talent couldn’t do ANYTHING! Kobe USA 08 team got it done, we know why😏 REST UP KOBE! You’re the fuckin GOAT FOREVER!
All those guys accomplishing those goals the next season shows his impact. That's legendary to see, CP avg 23 a game and had double digit assist. NO CP3 was a problem and Nuggets Melo
When I see Kobe at the Olympics games I see MJ ver 2. I see energy and power. I believe why MJ said only Kobe can beat him.. He is extreme lethal both offence and defense Thanks for bring back the Olympics titles when some so call King fail to.. RIP Kobe
Can’t wait to watch the Redeem team Doc later today on Netflix. I been waiting on this one. I’m a be hella sad cause Kobe was my guy. But I gotta see how he willed us to the W
Coach Daly could have coached any USA basketball team and formed them into a complete unit. He coached the bad boys. And as Charles Barkley said "If you can coach those a**holes, u can coach anybody."
3:28 No let me correct that Statement, Kobe Missed the Playoffs Only 1 Time at that point, not Multiple Times. Everything else I completely agree with and you did a Wonderful job with this video.
Without Kobe. The USA would have not won that gold medal game. Further more the work ethic he taught told the younger players changed all of their careers.
kobe is like the john cena of nba, they're are the people who introduced me to the sports that i loved especially as a kid.. they're my childhood heroes
People can see now the mentality of MJ went twice to the Olympics and both gold medal never lost in that stage same as finals and NCAA ,Kobe lebron those guys can win but to win need a lot of talent around them and lots of tries winning is different than try or compete
Larry Brown was to blame. Coach K set the chemistry. Jason Kidd brought leadership. Kobe Bryant set the tone. Everyone one else just did what they normally did.
There are different types of Leadership. Kobe and Lebron were complementary in that regard. Kobe lead by example, setting the tone on the training before practice, setting the tone on defense, showing other players he was willing to dive for the loose ball, to aks to guard the best player on the other team, and in one word, toughness. That being said, he lacked the communication skills either because he didn't want to do it, or didn't known how to do it. Lebron in the other hand, was the vocal leader of that Olympic team. He was the one to call upon other errors, to acknowledge he had no excuses to lose and to make every one feel included in that team, in especial Kobe himself. That allowed for the team to be together and not a collection of stars such as the 2023 USA Fiba team. You can watch coach K and other players saying both Kobe and Lebron were the leaders. So one leadership doesn't have to undermine the other. Lebron's leadership style back then lacked the toughness necessary to win. If I had to choose, I would pick Kobe. But as seen with Shaq before, it could implode a great team too.
Regarding 2006, not having Kobe hurt, but the real culprit for their loss to Greece was terrible PnR defense. Greece shot 63% from the field in that semifinal game. That's unacceptable at any level, especially for the US that generally excels at D. Kobe would've helped here, but it was a team-wide failure that one perimeter defender couldn't singlehandedly fix.
After a stressful and long NBA season travelling back and forth around USA, not all the best players who are regularly playing almost 40min per game, not all want to travel to another tournament like Olympics or World cup, They want to relax and give to their families the time they deserve too. Sorry fans.
I don't give a damn what they say about 2004. Even with all the complaints of Larry Brown, they should have won. Duncan, Lebron, Anthony, Iverson and more. They could've still won. They had the talent. The same goes for the 06 situation. The needed talent to win was there. Those guys with the exception of Duncan and Iverson clearly did not have the mindset at the time. Lebron and Wade acquired the mindset later. That was the reason. Mindset. For that, there is no excuse.
2000 - 2002 was Shaq's 2003 - 2005 was Tim Duncan's 2006 - 2010 was Kobe's Though u can argue that Bron was up there with Kobe because Bron was absolutely dominant those years winning back to back mvps and reaching Finals once with a very underwhelming team and beating the still great Detroit Pistons. The whole 2010s is Lebron's decade. The media and whole nba did everything they could to remove rings from Lebron's fingers. Creating a super superteam in the process.
