Description
The 2008 Olympics U.S. Men’s Basketball Team represented the United States of America at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. They qualified for the Olympics by winning the FIBA American Championships 2007 held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team was nicknamed the “Redeem Team“, a play on an alternative name for the legendary 1992 squad that was called the “Dream Team”, and a reference to the fact that the United States came away with disappointing Bronze Medals during the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Kobe Bryant was named the team captain and Mike Krzyzewski was named the head coach of the 2008 Olympics U.S. Men’s Basketball Team. LeBron James, often named the vocal leader of the team, stated in a feature with TIME magazine: “It’s the gold, or it’s failure.” An ESPN program, Road to Redemption, followed the team’s preparations.
The United States, with eleven NBA All-Stars, a Hall of Fame coach, and an NBA MVP, ultimately accomplished their goal. They defeated Spain 118-107 to accomplish their expectation of winning the tournament.
