USA Basketball hit rock bottom in the early attempts after it lost to Argentina in the FIBA World Championships in the year 2002 and again in the Olympics of 2004, where the USA Basketball again tolerated a loss to Puerto Rico and got a bronze medal. This was the first time when the Team USA had significantly failed to win a gold medal as the NBA players were allowed to represent their country. The poor performance led to the dramatic makeover of Jerry Colangelo and his make the Team USA supreme. Kobe Bryant had a starring role in the plan.
There are a lot of stories about the team, as the reports suggested from Bleacher Report, Kobe had to know the new crop of NBA stars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade as well as Carmelo Anthony who took over the league when Kobe was in his prime.
The summer of 2008 concurred with the defeat of Bryant in the NBA Finals, in spite the mid-season Pau Gasol’s acquisition from the Memphis Grizzlies. Nevertheless, this felt like a coup during the moment Gregg Popovich protested about it.
Bryant even had an opportunity on his first play at the preliminary stage of the Summer Olympics of 2008 to send a memorandum to his teammates who lacked skill along with his new Spanish partner on the team of Los Angeles Lakers. Soon after this incident against Spain, Bryant had noticed Pau about setting a screen to the Rudy Fernandez, the spring sharpshooter. This was the moment when he made his USA teammates and Pau get to know what he is nothing but a champion.
It wasn’t just Pau who received the strong message from Bryant which was very much loud and clear. LeBron James said to Cleveland.com that “The first play of the game he ran through the chest of Pau Gasol and got flagrant.” According to LeBron James “the guy was on another level.”
