The 2008 Redeem Team had a lot of pressure on its shoulders going in the Beijing Olympic Games. After the heights that the 1992 Dream Team reached, Team USA had floundered in the Olympic Games subsequently.
In 2004, Team USA was humbled in Greece, as Argentina took home the gold medal, beating Team USA in one of their most shocking defeats in team history. This, coupled with their poor performance at the 2006 FIBA World Championship was deemed the last straw.
Team USA decided to send some of their best young players to Beijing in order to redeem their performances over the last few years. Thus, 2008’s Team USA was dubbed the ‘Redeem Team’. The team was led by veteran Kobe Bryant, and young superstar LeBron James.
The squad had a vast depth of talent, with stars like Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Jason Kidd making up a massive part of the roster.
As mentioned above, Team USA was under immense pressure to perform in Beijing. But from what we can see in this throwback video posted by Chris Bosh, the players were calm, jovial, and not letting that pressure get to them in the slightest.
Throwback to me, @KingJames, @DwightHoward, @CP3 and @DeronWilliams eating burgers at a gas station back in 2008 to kill time before our flight to China the Olympics.
Recorded on my flip cam. A classic. pic.twitter.com/P2qAknOKqH
— Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh) October 20, 2021
Chris Bosh took to Twitter to post a clip from his days with the Redeem Team. In the clip, stars like Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and LeBron James are seen enjoying some fast food at a gas station, as they were killing time before their flight to Beijing.
James and Paul were especially relaxed, making jokes to Bosh and his camera about how long they have to wait before their flight takes off for Beijing.
That relaxed mentality paid off, as Team USA went on to win the Olympic Gold Medal in Beijing, beating Argentina in the final. Since then, Team USA has had a streak going, where they have won 4 consecutive Olympic Gold Medals.
