LeBron James calls Redeem Team the greatest international team ever / News - Basketnews.com
LeBron James thinks that Team USA of the 2008 Olympics, known as Redeem Team, is the greatest international basketball team ever.
Credit: Reuters-Scanpix Credit Reuters-ScanpixRecently, Netflix released a documentary, The Redeem Team, about Team USA and its journey from the 2006 World Cup to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, in which LeBron James and other stars shared interesting stories and their perspectives.
LeBron James
Position:SFAge:37Height:203 cmWeight:113 kgBirth place:Akron, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatisticsThe Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James claimed that Redeem Team that took part in the 2008 Olympic Games is the best international team ever.
James' reasoning was pretty simple – the depth of Team USA in 2008 and Dwyane Wade's performance in the final against Spain.
Two main stars of the team, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, got into early foul trouble, but then Wade's time to shine came.
"The first half was disjointed because of the foul trouble," Mike Krzyzewski recalled. "There were more minutes, and people were playing different roles."
However, Wade remembered that he felt confident before the game even started.
"Sometimes you feel like you've been there before, you've done this. I knew I was gonna have a big game. And when I got in [on the court], I got right to it," Wade said in the documentary.
Wade poured in 21 points in the first half coming off the bench, allowing Team USA to build a 69-61 lead.
"Seriously, if you got D-Wade coming off of your bench, you got the greatest international team ever," said LeBron.
Redeem Team had LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Jason Kidd, Carlos Boozer, Michael Redd, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, and Taurean Prince on its roster.
"Dwyane's points in the first half kept us afloat," Krzyzewski admitted. "In the international game, the sooner you can put 'em away, the better. But we could never pull away from them."
Wade also admitted that he and a few other players knew their roles and what they had to do whenever they stepped on the court.
"Our whole goal with Deron [Williams], CP [Chris Paul], and myself was, 'Once we get in, we have to give this team a different feel and a different look,'" said Wade.
Eventually, Kobe Bryant took over at the end of the game and allowed Team USA to build a safe lead and finish Americans draught on the international basketball stage.
"It's one game," Bryant said in the documentary. "So that means there's plenty of players out there who are nervous, and I know that they're feeling the pressure much more than I am."
"Kobe Bean, Mr. Fantastic coming to save the day, pretty much," Chris Bosh recalled.
The Americans said they felt the victory when Bryant hit a floater with a little bit more than a minute to play.
"This is game. Like, we just… We just won a gold medal," Wade said.
Team USA beat Spain 118-107, with Wade (27 points), Bryant (20), and James (14) being the top scorers.
Since 2008, Team USA has won gold medals in every Olympic Games basketball tournament.
Redeem Team documentary trailer
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