Upon hearing Kobe’s name, Boozer already knew Team USA would reclaim their throne.
After failing to win gold, Team USA’s men’s basketball team exited the 2004 Athens Olympics disappointed and unhappy. The Americans as expected planned a great comeback, so the team required a makeover.
Team USA stacked their 2008 Olympic roster with high-level NBA superstars, also known as “The Redeem Team.” In it were LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Dwight Howard, among others, but according to Carlos Boozer, the biggest difference was the addition of Kobe Bryant. He recounted that right there and then, he knew that the team already got what they needed to win.
“When Coach (K) said we were bringing in Kobe, I was like, ‘This is going to be amazing,’” Boozer told The Fayetteville Observer ahead of the 2023-24 season. “I already knew his work ethic and his reputation. The guy’s a winner, which is what we needed at the time.”
Mamba set the tone
Needless to say, what Team USA suffered in the ’04 Olympics was devastating for the squad’s morale. They came in as the obvious favorites to win the gold like in previous Olympic tournaments, but they lost their very first game at the hands of Puerto Rico, who torched them en route to a blowout 92-73 victory.
The second defeat came when Lithuania beat them 94-90 in their fourth game of group play. Somehow, Team USA made it to the semi-final only to get thumped by Argentina, 89-81. The most evident holes in Team USA’s game were outside shooting and defense. However, Duke alumnus who was a part of the ’04 and ’08 Team USA reflected that they also lacked that winning energy. Something that Bryant brought to the table right from the get-go.
“For us, we’re trying our best to establish USA Basketball again,” Boozer recalled. “We lost to Argentina in 2004 and everybody was talking about how good Spain was (in 2008). Obviously, they were terrific – we met them in the final – so it was warranted. But when Kobe came, it was a whole different energy.”
“We get in there and Kobe sets the tone in practice the first day – doesn’t take one shot and is hustling, winning every sprint. … He’s showing that we’re going to win this championship with our defense, not with our offense. That kind of set the tone,” he described.
Kobe made Boozer question his work ethic
Despite being laser-focused on reclaiming their throne on the international stage, Team USA members still found time to relax and enjoy themselves during their Olympic training camp in Las Vegas. Boozer admitted that the entire roster went out to have fun in Vegas at night.
He once said they were left dumbfounded when they crossed paths with Bryant after a long night out. It was about 4 or 5 in the morning, and they were returning to the hotel to get some sleep, but Kobe was already prepared to start working out. To this day, the former Blue Devil still vividly recalls how The Black Mamba subtly made them realize what focus is all about.
“We’re walking in from a night out on the town – he goes, ‘I got goals’ and just kept walking,” Carlos remembered. “We get on the elevator and I’m looking at myself like, ‘Damn, you got goals?’ It was subtle but so profound. It was a self-reflecting moment for the rest of us.”
Boozer would also never forget how Kobe made him question his work ethic after that brief yet intense moment.
“Watching how hard this guy worked, it’s like, ‘Damn, am I working hard enough?’” he reflected.
USA and Bryant delivered
Spearheaded by Bryant, USA’s Redeem Team entered the 2008 Beijing Olympics men’s basketball tournament determined to send a message to the world. As expected, they performed much better than the last squad, winning seven consecutive games. However, Spain did not let Team USA take home the gold medal without breaking a sweat.
Right from the tip-off, Spain did everything it could to not let the USA gain confidence. They managed to make it a close match, and admittedly head coach Mike Krzyzewski was feeling the pressure. But just before the 3-minute mark, unsurprisingly, Bryant took over and pulled off a four-point play to give the USA a comfortable 9-point lead.
“That was the most pressure I’ve ever felt in international competition, and in that timeout, Kobe and the rest of these guys — but especially Kobe — said, ‘We got it.’ We didn’t even run a play. We got accustomed to just believing in one another. Kobe made a couple of plays, and all of a sudden, we won,” Coach K recalled.
Team USA emphatically won the gold in the 2008 Olympics, and their story was immortalized in The Redeem Team documentary. In it, Boozer, LeBron, D-Wade, and the rest of the team again looked back at Kobe’s legendary Olympic run.
