Kobe Bryant tasted success in the NBA at a very young age. He entered the league as a 17-year-old, and it didn’t take him long to become a good player in the NBA. He always had the talent, but he needed some grooming before taking the next step.
Once he did that, he never looked back and helped the Purple and Gold in winning three consecutive NBA Championships with Shaquille O’Neal. After Shaq left the Lakers, the franchise really gave Kobe the keys to the franchise, and he blossomed into a fine superstar.
He put on great individual performances in almost every game and made a name for himself as an elite player in the best basketball league in the world. Despite being a great player, Kobe didn’t play for Team USA in the 2004 Olympics.
If he had been there, Team USA might not have come home with just a bronze medal as they had a good team, but they had no clue how to play together.
Kobe Bryant Was The Solution To 2008 Redeem Team’s Problem Per Coach Mike Krzyzewski
Mike Krzyzewski was selected as the coach of the 2008 Redeem Team, which was gathered to take revenge for team USA’s 2004 embarrassment. The team featured the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and many other NBA greats.
But even with their talent, they could have repeated their mistakes if Kobe Bryant wasn’t on the roster. By that time in his career, Kobe had already transformed into a leader, and coach K recognized just that.
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“A lot of them weren’t known as great team players. I had a lot of concerns, that’s why we recruited Kobe Bryant.”
Coach K talked about Kobe in the recent trailer of Netflix’s The Redeem Team documentary.
Even in this short clip, it was clear that coach K respected Kobe and trusted his abilities as a leader. His gamble paid off, and Team USA played like a team throughout the Olympics and won the gold medal.
