“My job was to get those two to talk” – Amidst LeBron James and Kobe Bryant’s COLD CONTEST, Jason Kidd took control in the 2008 Redeem Team
Jason Kidd reveals how he fostered the relationship between Kobe and LeBron in the Redeem Team
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Kobe Bryant and LeBron James playing together on Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. (image via Twitter / X)
The 2004 Olympics in Athens was a nightmare for the US men’s basketball team, who suffered three defeats and only managed to grab the bronze medal. It was a stark contrast to their previous performances, where they had dominated the competition with the Dream Team in 1992. Something needed to be done, and the solution came in the form of the Redeem Team in 2008.
Composed of 11 NBA players, the Redeem Team had two of the biggest stars in basketball during that time, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. However, the two were not friends, and the team needed to get them on the same page both on and off the court if they were to win. This was where Jason Kidd came in, who had the critical task of fostering a relationship between the two stars.
Here is what Kidd had to say: Our first practice was a surreal moment because everyone’s kinda like watching who’s gonna do what, what’s LeBron going to do, what’s Kobe going to do, and my job was to get those two to talk.
But that was I thought a big moment for a lot of the guys who went to that driving range to see Kobe laugh at himself. Because a lot of times you don’t see Kobe ( laughing ), He’s serious, and he wants to win, but he was open that day. That helped our team.
He concluded: And I’ll give LeBron a lot of credit because LeBron did something every morning that I don’t think a lot of people understand. He was funny. He was a comedian in the morning when he would do impersonations of introducing someone, you know, like ‘Kobe Bean Bryant’. He would do these types of things that people would laugh at. Kobe would be serious during warm-ups but then Kobe started laughing. And Kobe started joining. And it was like, ok, alright, we’re gonna be just fine.”
Kidd recently discussed how he got LeBron and Kobe to interact and spend time together off the court in an interview with Rachel Nichols for Showtime Basketball. During their game of golf, which was very popular at the time, Kidd related how Kobe made fun of himself for using his left hand. This boosted the team and broke the ice.
LeBron also participated in Kobe’s infamous 4 a.m. exercises, and he usually started their days off with humour by acting like he was introducing someone, which made Kobe and the rest of the group laugh. LeBron was praised by Kidd for being comic and hilarious in the mornings, which helped the team bond.
The Victory of the Redeem Team
The Redeem Team, led by Kobe and LeBron, won all of their games and defeated Spain in the championship game 118-107 to bring the gold back to the United States and reestablish American dominance in basketball. It was a historic victory that demonstrated the team’s determination and will to move past the 2004 Athens disaster.
The team’s success was not solely due to Kobe and LeBron’s star power. Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh were just a few of the outstanding NBA players on the Redeem Team who all contributed significantly to the team’s achievement.
The success of the Redeem Team was more than just a victory; it was a sign of redemption and proof of the power of togetherness. Despite their differences, the team worked together and set their egos aside for the greater good. It was a magnificent accomplishment that will go on in basketball history forever.
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Vivek Yadav
(624 Articles Published)