The 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team — the Redeem Team — reunited and honored the late Kobe Bryant at its enshrinement into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, Dwyane Wade and Deron Williams, plus head coach Mike Krzyzewski, assistant coaches Jim Boeheim and Mike D’Antoni and managing director Jerry Colangelo attended the Class of 2025 induction ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Full video of the on-stage reunion is here.
Led by Bryant, the squad put the U.S. back atop global basketball after American teams took bronze at the 2004 Olympics and the 2006 World Cup.
“(Bryant) was the missing link that we needed in order to regain the dominance with Team USA,” James said while sitting next to teammates on a panel moderated by Ahmad Rashad.
The U.S., after three defeats at the 2004 Athens Games, went 8-0 in Beijing, winning by an average of 27.9 points per game.
Krzyzewski said hearing the national anthem played and seeing the U.S. flag raised was the best moment of his coaching career.
“Our goal was to win the gold medal, but also to win the respect of our country again, and also the respect of the world,” said Krzyzewski, who went on to lead undefeated teams in 2012 and 2016, too.
Anthony and Howard were also inducted as individuals in the Class of 2025, along with fellow Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore.
A Kobe Bryant 2028 LA Olympic mural in downtown Los Angeles was finished in time for Mamba Day.
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