USA Olympic Redeem Team Basketball

Peter Buscemi October 12, 2022 0

USA Olympic Redeem Team Basketball, a new film documenting the story of the USA men’s basketball team who went to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games bidding to restore their nation’s reputation, is now available to stream worldwide exclusively on Netflix.

The first collaborative feature documentary between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Netflix, the film is executive produced by two members of the Beijing squad who had also tasted defeat four years prior at Athens 2004 – LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

The documentary features never-seen-before footage from the Olympic archives as well as new behind-the-scenes material from NBA Entertainment.

There are also new interviews with those who were part of this iconic basketball story – including James, Wade and head coach Mike Krzyzewski – with the documentary offering an original and fascinating portrait of team building which heralded the launch of a new era of Team USA men’s basketball at the Olympic Games.

USA Olympic Basketball Team’s Disappointing Bronze Medal at Athens 2004

It chronicles Team USA’s journey from a disappointing bronze medal at Athens 2004 to a return to the top of the podium at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The U.S. team is considered one of the best-ever assembled, featuring the legendary Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, Chris Bosh, and Chris Paul, in addition to Wade and Howard.

Produced by the Olympic Channel along with the Kennedy/Marshall Company and Mandalay Sports Media, in association with 59th and Prairie Entertainment, UNINTERRUPTED, NBA Entertainment and USA Basketball, the film is directed by Jon Weinbach.

After their shocking performance at the 2004 Olympics, the US men’s basketball team seeks redemption as they pursue Gold at the 2008 Beijing Games. Watch all you want. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Mike Krzyzewski and more appear in this film.

The US Olympic Men’s Basketball Team’s quest for gold at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 following the previous team’s shocking performance four years earlier in Athens.

The documentary offers a fascinating portrait of team building and features insightful interviews with athletes and coaches from Dwyane Wade and LeBron James to Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski, who reflect on how The Redeem Team set a new standard for American basketball.

USA Olympic Redeem Team Basketball – What Changed

Following the disappointments in 2002 and 2004, USA Basketball appointed Jerry Colangelo to be solely responsible for selecting the team.

Colangelo made it clear that he would ask players for a three-year commitment—the 2006 FIBA World Championship and the 2008 Summer Olympics.

In the 2006 Worlds, the team was eliminated by Greece in the semifinal, losing the game 101–95.

The head coach was Duke University’s Mike Krzyzewski, with assistants Jim Boeheim, Mike D’Antoni, and Nate McMillan.

While some prominent players, such as Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, stated that they did not plan to play for the team, superstars Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James publicly announced their commitment for the 2006 Worlds and the ensuing 2008 Olympics.

Wade, James and Carmelo Anthony were named captains of the 2006 USA World Championship Team.

USA Olympic Redeem Team Basketball Point Differential

2008 United States men’s Olympic basketball team.

The men’s national basketball team of the United States won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

They qualified for the Olympics by winning the 2007 FIBA American Championship 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 team.”

An ESPN program, Road to Redemption, followed the team’s preparations.

The United States defeated Spain 118–107 in the final to win the gold.

Dwyane Wade was the leading scorer for team USA averaging 16 points per game.

The withdrawal of all major stars prior to the 2004 Olympics and an embarrassing performance of those young and inexperienced who were called to replace them prompted USA Basketball to change its approach to the formation of a national team.

As a result, the organization initiated a long-term project that saw NBA players committing to play for the team long before the start of the 2008 Olympics (instead of hastily accepting invitations merely weeks prior to the start of the tournament).

Many 2008 Olympians participated in the 2007 Americas championships, where the US won gold, thus qualifying for the Olympics.

The final roster featured eleven NBA All-Stars, a Hall of Fame coach, and two NBA MVPs.

Gold-Medals-For-The-USA-Olympic-Basketball-Team

Background Before the USA Olympic Redeem Team Basketball

The USA Basketball Men’s National Team, commonly known as the United States men’s national basketball team, is the basketball team representing the United States.

They are the most successful team in international competition, winning medals in all nineteen Olympic tournaments it has entered, including sixteen golds.

In the professional era, the team won the Olympic gold medal in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020.

Two of its gold medal-winning teams were inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in August 2010: the 1960 team, which featured six Hall of Famers (4 players, 2 coaches), and the 1992 “Dream Team”, featuring 14 Hall of Famers (11 players, 3 coaches).

The team is currently ranked first in the FIBA World Rankings.

Traditionally composed of amateur players, the U.S. dominated the first decades of international basketball, winning a record seven consecutive Olympic gold medals.

However, by the end of the 1980s, American amateurs were no longer competitive against seasoned professionals from the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.

In 1989, FIBA modified its rules and allowed USA Basketball to field teams with National Basketball Association players.

The first such team, known as the “Dream Team”, won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, being superior in all matches.

With the introduction of NBA players, the team was able to spark a second run of dominance in the 1990s.

Facing increased competition, the U.S. failed to win a medal at the 2002 FIBA World Championship, finishing sixth.

The 2004 Olympic team, being depleted by a number of withdrawals, lost three games on its way to a bronze medal, a record that represented more losses in a single year than the country’s Olympic teams had suffered in all previous Olympiads combined.

Determined to put an end to these failures, USA Basketball initiated a long-term project aimed at creating better, more cohesive teams.

The U.S. won its first seven games at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan before losing against Greece in the semi-finals; ending the competition with the bronze medal.

The team won gold two years later—at the 2008 Summer Olympics—in a dominant fashion.

This success was followed up at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, where despite fielding a roster featuring no players from the 2008 Olympic team, the U.S. did not lose a single game en route to defeating host Turkey for the gold medal.

The Americans continued this streak of dominance in the 2010s by going undefeated and capturing gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2014 FIBA World Cup.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, the team, led by Mike Krzyzewski for a record third time, won its 15th gold medal, making him the most decorated coach in USA Basketball history.

After Krzyzewski stepped down in 2016, team USA lost to France in the quarter-finals of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, finishing seventh overall.

However, team USA would avenge this loss in the 2020 Summer Olympics, defeating France 87–82 in the final to capture the team’s fourth straight gold medal and 16th overall.