Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are two of the greatest players in the history of the NBA. And one of the main reasons for their success was their unmatched work ethic. Both players will do whatever they need to do in order to be the best players they can be. And this mentality allowed them to bond during their time at the 2008 Olympics.
During an interview, Jason Kidd, who was part of the 2008 Team USA Roster, dubbed the ‘Redeem Team’, talked about LeBron James and Kobe Bryant leading the team. The two were initially not communicating, but after Kobe began his 4 AM workouts, LeBron James decided to join him. The two began communicating and would lead the team to the gold medal.
“My job was to get those two to talk. They’re both eyeing each other. They wanna win. With LeBron and Kobe, it was the 4:00 workouts that Kobe did. LeBron sees that. ‘Okay, you’re working. I’m going to work’… Melo said it best. I’m not doing that sh*t.”
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James would end up being the leaders of the team, setting the standard for the star-studded roster. In fact, James and Kobe would enjoy playing together on Team USA so much that they would do it again, leading Team USA to another Gold Medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
LeBron James Would Take Over Kobe Bryant’s Role As The King Of The Lakers
Things were not always rosy between LeBron and Kobe at Team USA. LeBron reportedly forced Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski to address Kobe Bryant not trusting the rest of the team and trying to play by himself. But they were able to get past these issues and do well as teammates.
The two stars had an immense amount of respect for each other. Bryant and James would go on to dominate the NBA after 2008, winning a combined 5 NBA championships between them till Kobe would eventually retire in 2016. James would eventually follow in Kobe’s footsteps, joining the Lakers in 2018, two years after Kobe would leave.
Bryant would praise LeBron’s presence in LA, hoping that he would help bring the franchise to its glory days. LeBron did just that, winning an NBA championship with the franchise, but unfortunately, Kobe Bryant had passed away a few months prior to this win. LeBron and the Lakers dedicated this win to Bryant.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
