救赎之队：2008美国男篮奥运梦 The Redeem Team(2022)(EN)Subtitles
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1 00:00:06 - What's up? How you feeling? - Chillin'. What's going on?
2 00:00:09 Bron, you're on that side of the couch.
3 00:00:11 - Bron right here. - Okay.
4 00:00:13 -Yeah. -Bron right here, Kobe on that corner.
5 00:00:16 All right, Kobe. So you won the gold.
6 00:00:19 Where would this stack up?
7 00:00:20 Well, it's a higher priority. You're representing your country,
8 00:00:24 and you're competing against basketball players
9 00:00:26 who are the best in their country.
10 00:00:27 To me, that holds a greater significance.
11 00:00:30 When did it sink in this is something much bigger than yourself?
12 00:00:34 You know, it's, uh to me, it's just walking around every day.
13 00:00:38 Just, you know, whether I'm going to the grocery store
14 00:00:40 or going to pick up coffee or whatever it is,
15 00:00:42 people just coming on the street and just saying, "Bring back the gold."
16 00:00:45 You see a guy with a Celtics jersey at Disneyland, I'm ready to kill him.
17 00:00:48 'Cause he's wearing a Garnett jersey, you know, I'm pissed.
18 00:00:50 I'm thinking he going to say something smart about the Finals.
19 00:00:54 "Bring back the gold for us."
20 00:00:57 Enough said.
21 00:00:59 Enough said. Bring back the gold.
22 00:01:30 Welcome to Beijing,
23 00:01:32 the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Games.
24 00:01:38 The moment has arrived.
25 00:01:44 And the focus of China and the world
26 00:01:46 is on the National Stadium.
27 00:01:54 If you follow basketball, then you know the nickname of this year's squad.
28 00:01:58 The Redeem Team.
29 00:02:00 They've been dubbed the Redeem Team.
30 00:02:02 The Redeem Team.
31 00:02:03 The Redeem Team, because of the past failures internationally.
32 00:02:08 There's a new era in Olympic basketball,
33 00:02:10 and it's one in which the United States is no longer dominant.
34 00:02:14 The money and the greed of the NBA,
35 00:02:16 is that having an effect upon our competitive nature?
36 00:02:19 Yeah. You could write that.
37 00:02:21 We'd lost respect internationally. We had lost respect for ourselves.
38 00:02:27 Melo, what happened out there?
39 00:02:29 I don't know. I wasn't out there.
40 00:02:31 There was燼 snowball effect of just negativity.
41 00:02:34 Into this mess,
42 00:02:36 they all brought their own individual stories.
43 00:02:38 Kobe was keeping to himself.
44 00:02:40 He never seemed to find any common ground.
45 00:02:43 I felt like I was the best basketball player in the world,
46 00:02:46 but I still hadn't proven enough.
47 00:02:48 There's a ghost haunting every play.
48 00:02:51 The ghost of defeat.
49 00:02:53 There was a hunger about that '08 team. There was a hunger.
50 00:02:58 We had a lot of things that we needed to show the world.
51 00:03:01 And it wasn't just basketball.
52 00:03:15 Get out there, Mike!
53 00:03:17 Okay!
54 00:03:21 This is the most important thing that we will ever do as coaches.
55 00:03:25 The thing that I've learned over the last two years
56 00:03:27 is what great heart and courage all of you guys have.
57 00:03:33 This team has been put together to win internationally.
58 00:03:37 We have the three best point guards in the world.
59 00:03:42 You have Dwyane,
60 00:03:43 Carmelo, LeBron,
61 00:03:45 and Kobe.
62 00:03:49 This team has 12 guys
63 00:03:50 who can fucking win an Olympic championship,
64 00:03:54 and you don't know which one of you is gonna be called upon
65 00:03:58 at a moment to play a significant role in a huge win.
66 00:04:05 I got you outside!
67 00:04:07 A lot of them were not known as great team players.
68 00:04:10 Kobe was individual.
69 00:04:12 LeBron still hadn't proven himself to anybody as being any kind of a leader.
70 00:04:16 All run by a coach who was from the army.
71 00:04:19 And it was the challenge of their lives.
72 00:04:22 Way to run the floor, boy!
73 00:04:24 How are we gonna win? What are we gonna win?
74 00:04:27 What are we gonna establish?
75 00:04:29 Is it just to qualify for the fucking Olympics?
76 00:04:32 If that's the only reason we're here, that's too shallow.
77 00:04:36 Mind you, from '04 to that point,
78 00:04:39 we was losing.
79 00:04:40 Team USA Basketball was at the bottom.
80 00:04:43 When you're on the US team, you're supposed to win all the time.
81 00:04:46 You're supposed to be perfect.
82 00:04:48 These guys were not.
83 00:04:50 ["Make the Road by Walking" by Menahan Street Band爌laying]
84 00:04:53 The scoreboard tells the story in a nutshell.
85 00:04:55 USA 89, Russia 55.
86 00:04:58 And America holds the world championship of basketball.
87 00:05:06 Gold medalists,
88 00:05:08 the United States of America.
89 00:05:10 The United States of America.
90 00:05:12 The United States capture another championship
91 00:05:15 without loss of a game.
92 00:05:18 Basketball at the Olympics, the gold medal was America's to lose.
93 00:05:23 It was news if it was even a close game.
94 00:05:27 US basketball always was so dominant,
95 00:05:29 and we had the big stars of the game.
96 00:05:32 But, you know, also we came to the notion,
97 00:05:35 "Just because we're Americans, we're better."
98 00:05:38 You know, if you were from Europe or South America,
99 00:05:41 well, you couldn't be as good 'cause you weren't American.
100 00:05:43 And that wasn't true.
101 00:05:45 They had the same ability to to gain expertise in basketball that we did.
102 00:05:52 Welcome to the semifinals.
103 00:05:53 It's the United States and the Soviet Union.
104 00:05:56 The drama beginning to build.
105 00:05:59 We're underway!
106 00:06:01 Last time they played was 16 years ago in Munich.
107 00:06:04 The only time the American team has ever lost an Olympic basketball game.
108 00:06:09 People in the USA, sports fans, we took it for granted.
109 00:06:12 "When it comes to the Olympics, it's our game."
110 00:06:15 "We invented it. We're gonna win. It doesn't matter who shows up."
111 00:06:17 That's what we thought.
112 00:06:18 Coles tough defense. Sabonis rips down another
113 00:06:22 It's a two-on-one break. Mar膷iulionis
114 00:06:24 And that should do it for the Soviets.
115 00:06:28 The United States goes home stunned.
116 00:06:33 How big a win was it?
117 00:06:34 US came into this game with an 84 and 1 Olympic record overall,
118 00:06:38 having won nine of ten gold medals.
119 00:06:41 Bottom line may have been the Soviet experience,
120 00:06:43 which, uh, may accelerate the push in the United States
121 00:06:46 to allow NBA pros to compete in the Olympics.
122 00:06:49 [Smith] American USA Basketball starts to panic
123 00:06:52 and says, "You know, we got to put together something
124 00:06:54 that represents American basketball."
125 00:06:57 And so who shows up in 1992?
126 00:06:59 ["Higher Baby" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince playing]
127 00:07:02 Ladies and gentlemen, the US Olympic Dream Team.
128 00:07:05 Boom in your face Now take that?
129 00:07:08 Get on track Or you best step back
130 00:07:11 This group may well be the greatest team ever assembled
131 00:07:14 in the history of team sports.
132 00:07:20 You know, when your opposition is asking for autographs before the game,
133 00:07:24 you've got a little bit of an edge on them.
134 00:07:27 They did the best they could, but they were totally overwhelmed.
135 00:07:32 It brought back a little bit of glory for the USA.
136 00:07:35 O say, does that star-spangled banner?
137 00:07:41 But, you know, the Dream Team wasn't about patriotism.
138 00:07:48 It wasn't doing it for America. It's really, "Do it for the NBA."
139 00:07:53 This, of course, is the Dream Team,
140 00:07:55 whose declared purpose is to win back US basketball honor.
141 00:07:59 But it's here for another purpose as well. It's taking care of business.
142 00:08:03 We think we have a great American product, and we would like to market it
143 00:08:07 on a global basis with as much, uh, class and success as we possibly can.
144 00:08:14 This team of All-Stars is almost too good.
145 00:08:17 Some think we should go back to the collegiates. It's been too easy.
146 00:08:20 I think then we ought to ban the African runners
147 00:08:23 from the 10,000 meters, because they make it look so easy as well.
148 00:08:27 -[reporter 2 laughs] -This is about our best.
149 00:08:29 This is wonderful for the sport of basketball.
150 00:08:34 With the ninth pick in the 1998 NBA Draft,
151 00:08:37 the Milwaukee Bucks select
152 00:08:40 Dirk Nowitzki from W眉rzburg, Germany.
153 00:08:43 The San Antonio Spurs select
154 00:08:45 Emanuel Gin贸bili from Argentina.
155 00:08:49 The Atlanta Hawks select
156 00:08:52 Pau Gasol
157 00:08:53 from FC Barcelona, Spain.
158 00:08:57 Basketball took off to another level after that worldwide.
159 00:09:00 The international game was improving by leaps and bounds.
160 00:09:03 It was a jolt.
161 00:09:06 This next wave that comes along, inspired by the Dream Team,
162 00:09:10 they were more competitive, and they were a greater threat to USA Basketball.
163 00:09:14 '92, it was introduced as a global game,
164 00:09:17 but the game was starting to catch up to us.
165 00:09:21 We talk about these different countries,
166 00:09:23 they have talented basketball players who have been taught the fundamentals.
167 00:09:29 Now, the world is not afraid. The scare factor was gone.
168 00:09:40 My fellow citizens, at this hour,
169 00:09:43 American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations
170 00:09:47 to disarm Iraq, to free its people,
171 00:09:50 and to defend the world from grave danger.
172 00:10:00 And now to the upcoming Olympic Games in Greece,
173 00:10:02 where fear of terrorism has left the lineup
174 00:10:05 for America's men's basketball team up in the air.
175 00:10:08 Big-name NBA stars routinely lend their talent to take home the gold,
176 00:10:12 but this time, some are saying no.
177 00:10:15 When it comes to excuses, coach Larry Brown has heard them all.
178 00:10:18 Jason Kidd has a sore knee.
179 00:10:20 Shaquille O'Neal says he's waiting to see
180 00:10:23 how far the Lakers advance in the playoffs.
181 00:10:25 If you look at the environment hovering over the 2004 Olympics,
182 00:10:29 that was the first Summer Games after 9/11,
183 00:10:33 and with the invasion of Iraq,
184 00:10:35 now there's this sense that America is acting unilaterally
185 00:10:38 and is starting to become an unwelcome guest around the world.
186 00:10:42 So there were legitimate safety and security concerns.
187 00:10:46 And all these players who had already participated
188 00:10:50 in '96 and 2000
189 00:10:52 didn't feel the need to go back and do that again.
190 00:10:55 I remember watching it via TV,
191 00:10:57 and you just see some of the players not wanna go.
192 00:10:59 It just became this epidemic.
193 00:11:02 The NBA put a lot of pressure on in terms of adding some future stars.
194 00:11:07 Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James.
195 00:11:11 I didn't think I earned an opportunity to be on that team.
196 00:11:14 You know, literally, this is the summer right after my rookie year,
197 00:11:17 and all I'm thinking about is hanging out with my friends,
198 00:11:20 hanging out with my family, and training.
199 00:11:22 I just finished my rookie season,
200 00:11:24 and I'm in summertime in Chicago, hanging with my family,
201 00:11:27 and I get a call asking me to be a part of the Olympic team,
202 00:11:30 and I'm like "What?"
203 00:11:34 Nine guys drop out.
204 00:11:36 So they had to fill those spots, and we got the call,
205 00:11:39 like, "Would y'all want to be a part of this USA Team?"
206 00:11:42 I'm like, "Hell, yeah." Like, "C'mon, let's do it."
207 00:11:46 "Oh my God, they asked me to be a part of something
208 00:11:49 that I remember being so incredible with the Dream Team."
209 00:11:52 "Sign me up."
210 00:11:54 But mind you, we got the call saying, "If y'all want to play,
211 00:11:57 y'all gotta meet us in Jacksonville in two weeks."
212 00:12:00 We didn't know what to expect. Everybody had backed out.
213 00:12:02 This was going to be our moment to go over there
214 00:12:05 and get, you know, a gold medal.
215 00:12:12 I remember going to Jacksonville, seeing the US team.
216 00:12:16 It was separated. It was like two different teams.
217 00:12:19 Like, you had AI and Marbury, Tim Duncan.
218 00:12:22 And then you had the younger guys,
219 00:12:24 the rookies who was just who was coming into the league.
220 00:12:27 You look at all the younger crew, you know, myself and Melo, D Wade,
221 00:12:31 you know, we just trying to figure out, like, how do we fit into this?
222 00:12:35 We're young. We up and down, dunks, lobs, this and that.
223 00:12:42 It was a disconnect between both groups.
224 00:12:45 It was like, "Oh, we have this young group of guys that's coming on board."
225 00:12:48 Then you had the older guys, just like,
226 00:12:51 "This is our shit. We gotta make this work."
227 00:12:53 And then you just had
228 00:12:55 Larry Brown.
229 00:12:56 We've played a certain way for the last five or six years.
230 00:13:00 All right? We gotta we gotta change right now.
231 00:13:04 We had a group of guys that
232 00:13:07 I think Coach was trying to prove a point with the Olympics,
233 00:13:11 that he could get all of us to play "the right way," which was "his way."
234 00:13:15 We're ready to take the roll.
235 00:13:17 You go screen
236 00:13:19 This has become a world sport.
237 00:13:20 We better respect the people we play, or we're gonna be in trouble.
238 00:13:25 Do you have a sense that people are saying,
239 00:13:27 "Well, this might be the team that can't win the gold"?
240 00:13:30 We got a lot of doubters out there for the simple fact we're a young team.
241 00:13:34 I don't think a lot of people think that young players could do it.
242 00:13:36 So we gotta prove ourselves.
243 00:13:41 The Olympic Games are here in Greece, which one local official described
244 00:13:44 as "a convenient intersection in a bad neighborhood."
245 00:13:49 The players and their families will stay
246 00:13:51 on a cruise ship off the Greek coast
247 00:13:53 while being protected by Greek and American authorities
248 00:13:56 during the Games.
249 00:13:58 We're not in the Olympic Village. We're not by the Olympians.
250 00:14:02 It didn't really feel like we're a part of the Olympic experience.
251 00:14:07 It starts with Puerto Rico.
252 00:14:10 Will the United States men win another gold medal?
253 00:14:12 Will they suffer a loss for the first time
254 00:14:15 in Olympic play since NBA players were allowed to compete?
255 00:14:17 Those questions will be answered with this game.
256 00:14:20 If you look at the names on the team, you're like,
257 00:14:22 "We g we good. Let's go do this."
258 00:14:26 Iverson to Marion!
259 00:14:30 Not only America thought we're gonna win, we weren't paying attention,
260 00:14:33 we thought we're gonna win so much.
261 00:14:35 pick-and-roll, Puerto燫ico.
262 00:14:38 Nice feed inside!
263 00:14:39 And Puerto Rico opens up a nine-point lead.
264 00:14:42 Most of the reporters were at other venues.
265 00:14:45 We were covering skeet shooting and track and field and swimming.
266 00:14:49 Nobody was even paying attention.
267 00:14:52 Carmelo Anthony.
268 00:14:56 Beautiful save by Ayuso.
269 00:14:58 Carlos Arroyo-- Oh, what a ball fake!
270 00:15:01 I remember the game against Puerto Rico.
271 00:15:03 I remember Mike Breen and I, we were doing the game.
272 00:15:05 And we looked at each other, and we go, "Uh-oh, this team is in trouble."
273 00:15:09 Arroyo draws the foul. And one!
274 00:15:13 We didn't take Puerto Rico with the respect they deserved,
275 00:15:16 and they, uh they kicked our ass.
276 00:15:17 It's finally happened.
277 00:15:19 The United States loses in Olympic play with NBA players.
278 00:15:24 But that first game against Puerto Rico really let us know, like,
279 00:15:28 "Damn, like, okay, we we fucking around."
280 00:15:31 "We we gotta get our shit together."
281 00:15:33 Lots of people are talking about the American men's basketball team.
282 00:15:36 It was, by any stretch of the imagination, a complete upset and an embarrassment.
283 00:15:41 They were called the "Dream Team,"
284 00:15:42 but now some people are calling them the "Cream Team."
285 00:15:47 The younger guys, we were pissed at Larry Brown,
286 00:15:50 because he didn't play us.
287 00:15:51 Melo, what happened out there, you think?
288 00:15:53 I don't know. I wasn't out there. I don't think
289 00:15:56 They scored more points than us. That's all I can say.
290 00:15:59 We thought, "We should be playing because we could help this team win."
291 00:16:03 But Larry Brown didn't
292 00:16:04 He didn't think that we could as much as the veteran guys.
293 00:16:09 - They can still win. -They can still win.
294 00:16:11 -That's what I was looking for. -It's a round-robin event.
295 00:16:13 -It's conceivable they could win gold. -Right.
296 00:16:16 We're going to bring you
297 00:16:18 live coverage of the United States and Argentina.
298 00:16:20 The spot in tomorrow's gold medal game on the line.
299 00:16:25 You can tell immediately that they had this chemistry.
300 00:16:28 Argentina has such open looks. They pass the ball so well.
301 00:16:31 There's S谩nchez spotting up and shooting the three.
302 00:16:35 They was more cohesive. They was more running plays.
303 00:16:37 They was running sets.
304 00:16:38 Gin贸bili, wide-open three.
305 00:16:41 You could tell they had spent real time,
306 00:16:43 like years and years playing with each other.
307 00:16:46 Count it, and a foul!
308 00:16:48 They could pass the ball right here and know that the guy is cutting.
309 00:16:51 Gin贸bili.
310 00:16:53 S谩nchez threads the needle to Oberto.
311 00:16:56 They just had the chemistry. They had the teamwork.
312 00:16:59 They had the camaraderie. They had everything out on the floor.
313 00:17:02 I mean, they just
314 00:17:03 they played the game how the game's supposed to be played.
315 00:17:06 Sconochini, fancy to Montecchia.
316 00:17:09 Oh, what a fancy play.
317 00:17:12 There'll be no gold in Athens.
318 00:17:14 And there's the exclamation point.
319 00:17:17 The United States men fail to win it all at the Olympic Games.
320 00:17:21 It was ugly to watch.
321 00:17:23 It was terrible to watch and terrible to be a part of.
322 00:17:27 They might be starting to say there's a new era in Olympic basketball,
323 00:17:31 and it's one in which the United States is no longer dominant.
324 00:17:34 They're great players. They're the best team.
325 00:17:36 In terms of individual players, they're the best.
326 00:17:38 But this is a team sport. So you play five-on-five.
327 00:17:42 You don't play one-on-one. It's not tennis.
328 00:17:44 We was just a whole bunch of kind of just bullshit thrown together
329 00:17:48 and said, "Go out there and and and win us a gold medal."
330 00:17:52 There was no culture with Team USA.
331 00:17:55 There was no culture at all.
332 00:17:57 The United States set to receive their bronze medals.
333 00:17:59 You can see from their body language,
334 00:18:02 they're disappointed.
335 00:18:05 Well, I'm watching it here in Durham, North Carolina,
336 00:18:08 and, uh agonizing.
337 00:18:10 And you see the joy in Argentina.
338 00:18:13 The other countries don't take anything for granted.
339 00:18:16 They have a national team.
340 00:18:18 Argentina,
341 00:18:20 those guys were together since they were 18 years old.
342 00:18:23 They're brothers.
343 00:18:26 There wasn't a lot of time.
344 00:18:29 We had to figure out how to become a team in two weeks.
345 00:18:31 I was young, but I understood
346 00:18:33 what it meant to build chemistry in order to win.
347 00:18:37 We had it with the Dream Team,
348 00:18:39 and then there was no continuity after that.
349 00:18:53 Coming back home
350 00:18:54 and the disrespect that we were getting from our own country.
351 00:18:58 There were songs about us. Everybody was talking about us.
352 00:19:04 Why Team USA keep gettin' blown out??
353 00:19:06 You know, "These players suck," and, "The rest of the world's caught up."
354 00:19:10 "How do you lose to Puerto Rico?"
355 00:19:12 Finally, these men,
356 00:19:13 A, are on line to buy tickets, B, have traveled far to see the games,
357 00:19:18 C, just defeated the United States Men's Basketball Team.
358 00:19:22 It was just a snowball effect of of just negativity.
359 00:19:25 The United States men settle for the bronze.
360 00:19:29 I'm sitting up on the podium, you know, receiving the bronze like,
361 00:19:33 "This shit was a waste of my time."
362 00:19:35 At that moment, I definitely wasn't playing
363 00:19:37 for Team USA again.
364 00:19:41 Still stinging from their bronze-medal showing
365 00:19:43 in Athens last summer,
366 00:19:44 USA Basketball has revamped itself and has turned over power
367 00:19:47 to Jerry Colangelo.
368 00:19:51 Almost everything Jerry Colangelo touches works.
369 00:19:53 Particularly start-up projects.
370 00:19:55 He was involved with a start-up project that became the Chicago Bulls in 1966.
371 00:19:59 He then went out west to Arizona,
372 00:20:02 and he started up three out of the four teams out there.
373 00:20:05 Back in early 2004,
374 00:20:08 my net worth was really wrapped up in the Phoenix Suns.
375 00:20:11 So I decided to sell the team.
376 00:20:14 I knew it was gonna leave some kind of a void.
377 00:20:17 And I said, "You know, what's next?"
378 00:20:21 It was just a couple of weeks later when I got that call about USA Basketball.
379 00:20:27 You know, I basically said, "I I'll do it. I'll do it."
380 00:20:30 "But no more committees."
381 00:20:32 "I'll pick the coaches. I'll pick the players."
382 00:20:34 Colangelo will pick them without a committee.
383 00:20:36 -You don't think that's too much power? - Probably.
384 00:20:39 -This guy gets it done. -You trust him?
385 00:20:40 I do. I do trust him.
386 00:20:42 I had some names up on a board of of coaches.
387 00:20:45 Let's talk about coaches.
388 00:20:46 Dean Smith, from North Carolina, obviously, said,
389 00:20:50 "There's only one coach who could get the job done,
390 00:20:54 who has the respect of all the players."
391 00:20:57 "He stands alone. He's the only one."
392 00:21:01 It was Coach K at Duke.
393 00:21:03 The Duke of Destiny has won it!
394 00:21:06 For the first time in two decades, college basketball has a repeat champion.
395 00:21:12 It's like the Yankees. Either you love 'em or you hate 'em.
396 00:21:15 That's how Duke was because of the success.
397 00:21:19 Growing up in the inner city, you hate Duke.
398 00:21:22 You just hate Duke. You hate Christian Laettner.
399 00:21:24 You hate JJ Redick.
400 00:21:26 You hate Coach K.
401 00:21:28 You hate the damn Blue Devil.
402 00:21:30 There was no, like excitement
403 00:21:32 when Coach K was, uh, appointed that position with Team USA.
404 00:21:37 When they announced that he was coming on,
405 00:21:39 our first thought was, like,
406 00:21:41 "Yo, how is he going to handle all these players
407 00:21:44 that's on this team as a college coach?"
408 00:21:46 I had a lot of concerns. One is just the credibility
409 00:21:49 that I would have with the NBA players.
410 00:21:52 Obviously, I had achieved a lot in the collegiate ranks,
411 00:21:56 but NBA's different.
412 00:21:59 The thing that changed right away was that you weren't gonna be the Olympic coach.
413 00:22:03 You were gonna be the national coach.
414 00:22:05 That was a step of trying to have one coach have a four-year period
415 00:22:11 where they were running a program.
416 00:22:13 You have to put a team together. It can't be fantasy basketball.
417 00:22:17 It can be All-Stars, but they have to fit roles.
418 00:22:20 Coach K and Jerry, they stressed that from the beginning.
419 00:22:24 It needed to be a commitment where you really took it serious
420 00:22:27 and not just some old one-off.
421 00:22:29 If you want to be a part of this, you have to commit,
422 00:22:32 you know, three summers, right away.
423 00:22:40 -What's up? -What's up, man?
424 00:22:45 Guys seem in a good mood.
425 00:22:46 -What's up? What's going on? -Is that what you want?
426 00:22:49 Good seeing you.
427 00:22:51 Our whole team met in Vegas for a training camp,
428 00:22:54 and in the very first meeting, Coach K says,
429 00:22:57 "This is not our game."
430 00:22:59 "This is the world's game."
431 00:23:00 I remember he was mad. He was livid about that.
432 00:23:03 Like, we got to respect everybody in the rest of the world.
433 00:23:06 From day one, he established himself as that guy.
434 00:23:09 Like, "Listen, I'm not here to tell you guys what to do."
435 00:23:12 "You guys are professionals, but this is a working relationship."
436 00:23:16 "I want y'all to talk to me. I want to be open. I want to be honest."
437 00:23:19 What you have to understand, in order to win a fight,
438 00:23:22 you have to know who you're fighting.
439 00:23:25 You're fighting somebody who thinks that they're Superman.
440 00:23:29 They have nothing to lose.
441 00:23:31 From the get-go, the pressure was on. We lost last time.
442 00:23:34 We're supposed to be the best in the world.
443 00:23:36 So with the national team concept, if you're not coming in
444 00:23:39 and taking it seriously, you won't last.
445 00:23:51 After we lost '04, we all felt like we were letting USA Basketball down,
446 00:23:56 especially us four guys.
447 00:23:58 You know, myself, D Wade, Bron, and Melo,
448 00:24:00 we were a part of that team, and we felt that agony of defeat.
449 00:24:04 I think early on, it was looked at as,
450 00:24:06 "International players are soft, right?"
451 00:24:09 "American players are tough."
452 00:24:11 Once you start looking at it, you're like, "No, they're not soft."
453 00:24:14 "They're skilled. They play the game a different way."
454 00:24:16 We have to learn their game and quit making excuses
455 00:24:21 and quit trying to impose our game on theirs.
456 00:24:24 If we learn their game, we will beat them.
457 00:24:27 You all and I don't know everything.
458 00:24:30 We especially don't know what each other knows.
459 00:24:32 That's what practice is about, is all getting on the same page.
460 00:24:36 The first thing that surprised me about Coach K
461 00:24:38 was that he didn't give a fuck about nobody's rsum,
462 00:24:42 but he always did it with respect.
463 00:24:43 I've always gotten the best out of myself
464 00:24:46 playing for someone that holds everybody accountable.
465 00:24:50 -Coming left! Coming left! - Get up there! Yep! Yep!
466 00:24:53 This is the way we play on the US team.
467 00:24:55 No matter who is playing on it, who's coaching it or whatever.
468 00:24:59 This is the way the United States team should play.
469 00:25:02 Good, good.
470 00:25:03 He was the one who told us, "Hey, I don't want y'all to not come in here
471 00:25:07 with y'all egos and y'all pride. That's who make y'all who y'all are."
472 00:25:11 You have to give me the egos that you have
473 00:25:14 in your current basketball teams.
474 00:25:17 Bring 'em to this team.
475 00:25:20 Okay? And put it under one ego umbrella.
476 00:25:24 I remember sitting there watching and hearing him say that.
477 00:25:27 I was like, "That makes sense."
478 00:25:28 Get up, Brad. Get up, Brad.
479 00:25:31 Uh-huh. Right there.
480 00:25:33 The thing I'm most surprised about
481 00:25:35 is how well you talk to one another.
482 00:25:37 You guys are interacting well in between drills.
483 00:25:40 There's a really good spirit that needs to be developed.
484 00:25:43 You got it. Just keep developing.
485 00:25:45 Two times!
486 00:25:51 Trials was crazy.
487 00:25:53 We stayed at the Wynn in Vegas for like a month.
488 00:25:55 We lived in Vegas for like a month.
489 00:25:57 That's when a lot of the relationships that you see were sort of forged.
490 00:26:03 I got no say on the bus!
491 00:26:04 Get on the bus!
492 00:26:05 Grab the bags, man!
493 00:26:07 I can't get on.
494 00:26:09 I can't get on!
495 00:26:10 There was a group of us that played cards every single night for 35 straight days.
496 00:26:15 You know, 35 days, you're gone from your family,
497 00:26:17 but you're able to, um you know, it's another family.
498 00:26:20 It's like another part of your family. It's like I never left home.
499 00:26:24 -You feel me? -I'm the best-looking one of the crew.
500 00:26:26 So you know, it it's you know,
501 00:26:29 they like my bodyguards, you know what I'm saying?
502 00:26:32 No. No.
503 00:26:34 I would rather you say, "I got a ring," than just say what you just said.
504 00:26:38 Know what I'm saying?
505 00:26:40 Listen, for all you guys, and it's important.
506 00:26:42 I really want you to pay close attention.
507 00:26:45 This morning, we have people who represent us,
508 00:26:48 and people don't get a chance to look up to 'em.
509 00:26:51 You don't even know what what they what they do.
510 00:26:54 Coach K is a motivator,
511 00:26:56 and that's what he did.
512 00:26:58 Each day, we had a different person come in there, talk to us.
513 00:27:02 There's no more important thing
514 00:27:03 we're gonna do today than listen
515 00:27:05 to what these heroes have to say to us.
516 00:27:09 Coach K being a West Point grad, he loves his country.
517 00:27:13 He loves serving his country.
518 00:27:15 So much of what he talked about,
519 00:27:17 there were always so many parallels to his time in the military.
520 00:27:20 So that ran deep with him.
521 00:27:22 Let's face it. It's what makes teams great, is selfless service.
522 00:27:26 It's putting the needs of someone else before yourself.
523 00:27:29 On the basketball court,
524 00:27:30 that may be diving for the loose ball or taking a charge.
525 00:27:33 On the battlefield, it may be running into a a a wall of bullets.
526 00:27:36 Putting your life on the line for someone else,
527 00:27:39 and and that to that level of selfless service.
528 00:27:41 When you're a great player, you think you can do it by yourself.
529 00:27:44 I can win by myself. I can score enough points. Whatever.
530 00:27:47 With Coach K, what he wants to do is, you can do it,
531 00:27:50 but you can achieve more with a group than you can individually.
532 00:27:54 It's a military mindset.
533 00:27:57 An explosion went off, and a piece of shrapnel came
534 00:27:59 and hit him in the eyes.
535 00:28:01 It looks like, uh, his eyes are normal.
536 00:28:03 He does not have any eyes. They were taken out
537 00:28:06 by that shrapnel that went through his head.
538 00:28:10 And he's still serving.
539 00:28:12 That's a hero.
540 00:28:14 It definitely hit me in my emotions.
541 00:28:18 They showed us who and what we were playing for.
542 00:28:21 These are the flags we wore on our uniforms in Iraq,
543 00:28:25 and, uh, we got a flag for each one of you.
544 00:28:27 I'm hoping they can put it on your warm-up jerseys.
545 00:28:30 And what I'm hoping is that you'll look down,
546 00:28:32 you'll see that flag,
547 00:28:33 and you'll realize thousands of people have gone before you and sacrificed
548 00:28:37 so you can be a great basketball player.
549 00:28:41 Scotty, you hear me?
550 00:28:43 We would be mic'd up.
551 00:28:44 We would say little things to him in the mic and talk to him from the court.
552 00:28:48 Blue is getting into us right now.
553 00:28:50 So White Team, we gotta pick it up as a team.
554 00:28:52 They're playing better than us.
555 00:28:56 Y'all put y'all uniforms on. I know y'all got a lot of pride.
556 00:28:59 We put these jerseys on, we feel a lot of pride
557 00:29:01 walking around with USA on our chest.
558 00:29:03 So, I know y'all got a lot of pride.
559 00:29:05 You guys are role models to a lot of us out here.
560 00:29:08 We don't get a chance to tell y'all. Y'all are role models to us.
561 00:29:11 We respect what y'all do for our country.
562 00:29:15 Hearing those stories, our players let their hearts be opened.
563 00:29:20 And as a result,
564 00:29:22 they became the US.
565 00:29:31 And welcome to a special edition
566 00:29:33 of the FIBA World Championship.
567 00:29:36 The United States will take its first step this morning
568 00:29:39 in trying to reclaim the top spot in the basketball world.
569 00:29:44 FIBA Worlds in '06 was the first time we went as a team with Coach K,
570 00:29:49 and what put even more pressure on is that we needed to qualify for Beijing.
571 00:29:55 And we needed to win the tournament.
572 00:29:58 Every game we play, we have to play it like it's a sprint,
573 00:30:02 not a marathon.
574 00:30:03 These games are gonna go real fast.
575 00:30:05 Let's not pick up any bad habits,
576 00:30:07 especially the habit of overlooking anybody.
577 00:30:11 Big thing for the United States is
578 00:30:13 you know there are gonna be jitters
579 00:30:15 because all these guys feel the pressure of representing this team
580 00:30:19 and getting that gold medal.
581 00:30:21 It ain't about an individual. It ain't about us.
582 00:30:23 It ain't about us playing for our teams. It's about the United States of America.
583 00:30:26 Let's do it for everybody in the United States of America.
584 00:30:29 "USA" on three. One, two, three!
585 00:30:31 - USA! -Let's go!
586 00:30:33 We were very good.
587 00:30:35 You could tell, like, okay, we getting the swagger back.
588 00:30:39 They make it look so easy.
589 00:30:41 When they're hot, they're really hot.
590 00:30:44 Every game, we did our job.
591 00:30:46 We came out, and we put teams away.
592 00:30:48 And we were playing very well.
593 00:30:50 Anthony.
594 00:30:51 Boy, how good has he been?
595 00:30:54 United States are still on track
596 00:30:57 to march to the finals.
597 00:30:59 But trust me, Jim, the competition will get tougher.
598 00:31:06 Well, after 72 dates of competition,
599 00:31:08 it all comes down to the number one seeds in each of the pools.
600 00:31:12 And we've got number one United States going against number one Greece.
601 00:31:16 Don't be sloppy, okay?
602 00:31:18 And, uh, like you guys have done the whole time,
603 00:31:21 let's be classy and and go after it.
604 00:31:23 ["Tehran" by HEEN爌laying]
605 00:31:26 Greece are the European Champions.
606 00:31:29 That's how good these guys are that the USA are playing.
607 00:31:33 You know, I remember that game like it was yesterday.
608 00:31:35 They had a guy, "Baby Shaq."
609 00:31:37 And Baby Shaq, Schortsanitis, he is a huge human being.
610 00:31:43 Up ahead to big man Schortsanitis for the dunk!
611 00:31:46 And just like that, it's 36-35!
612 00:31:49 For one quarter, the third quarter,
613 00:31:53 we were horrible, and they were great.
614 00:31:56 The problem for the US team
615 00:31:57 is they haven't defended the pick-and-roll.
616 00:32:00 -What a lovely pass! - What a pass!
617 00:32:02 Oh my goodness me, that's how it's done.
618 00:32:04 They're being picked to bits.
619 00:32:07 They beat us with our own offense.
620 00:32:09 The NBA, at that point, is now a high pick-and-roll league.
621 00:32:13 They beat us with high pick-and-roll.
622 00:32:16 Diamantidis, a pass back inside to go to the hoop
623 00:32:19 It might look on the TV like, "Why don't they just stop 'em?"
624 00:32:22 When you're playing in real time, it's hard to figure out
625 00:32:26 what the hell is going on.
626 00:32:28 And they confidence kept going.
627 00:32:30 They was making shots.
628 00:32:31 They played the perfect game,
629 00:32:33 and we never got back.
630 00:32:37 He misses. That's it. It's Greece!
631 00:32:39 They have defeated the United States!
632 00:32:41 The United States have crashed and burned once again by the semifinal match.
633 00:32:49 When we lost in 2006 in Japan,
634 00:32:53 I've never had a defeat worse than that.
635 00:32:58 I mean, you're coaching your country's team, and you lose.
636 00:33:03 I remember everybody's in the locker room already after the loss,
637 00:33:07 and I'm just on the court, and we looking at the celebration.
638 00:33:10 And it was just like
639 00:33:13 "We can never have this feeling ever again."
640 00:33:16 We did not want to go up and get on that stand
641 00:33:18 and take those bronze medals,
642 00:33:19 'cause we was like, "We are better than this."
643 00:33:23 It wasn't time.
644 00:33:27 You can't think that things are gonna happen on your term.
645 00:33:31 I know I didn't feel as shitty as I did when we lost in Athens,
646 00:33:37 but it wasn't the right time.
647 00:33:55 On behalf of USA Basketball, I just want to welcome you back.
648 00:33:59 Last summer, we fell short of something we wanted to do,
649 00:34:04 and that was win the World Championships
650 00:34:07 so that we wouldn't have to qualify this summer.
651 00:34:11 And it didn't happen.
652 00:34:12 We lost in '06
653 00:34:14 because we thought we knew the landscape, and we didn't.
654 00:34:19 We were gonna now learn the game we were playing
655 00:34:23 instead of the game that we played in the NBA.
656 00:34:26 I just want to tell you some some things that we're gonna do.
657 00:34:30 It wasn't natural.
658 00:34:31 That game was not natural for our play--
659 00:34:34 It's a different ball.
660 00:34:35 It has 12 panels instead of 8.
661 00:34:38 You can walk through the free-throw line when someone's shooting.
662 00:34:41 You can touch the ball off the rim in the Olympics.
663 00:34:43 It's, like, all these small rule things that we weren't used to.
664 00:34:47 If you're down here bumping without the ball
665 00:34:49 or cutting like they said this morning,
666 00:34:51 if you're cutting down from the high post down to the low post,
667 00:34:54 he can get in my way, and there's no foul. In the NBA, we can't do that anymore.
668 00:34:57 We had to get a feel for the game, a feel for the ball,
669 00:35:01 a feel for the officials.
670 00:35:03 We had to learn a different game.
671 00:35:07 And we knew we needed some older players.
672 00:35:10 That's why we went out and recruited Kobe Bryant.
673 00:35:16 - What's up, man? -How you doing?
674 00:35:18 Good to see you. Welcome.
675 00:35:24 Nobody brought more baggage to Team USA than Kobe Bryant.
676 00:35:29 He had been ostracized by the league.
677 00:35:33 He came into this at a point of his career where it could have gone either way.
678 00:35:38 He had run Shaquille O'Neal, a beloved figure, out of LA.
679 00:35:43 They thought he snitched out Shaq's personal life to the police.
680 00:35:50 They thought he was selfish.
681 00:35:52 We gotta do something this summer and get a contender.
682 00:35:55 I don't want to be a one-man show.
683 00:35:57 He had demanded a trade in the parking lot
684 00:35:59 of a Ralphs grocery store in Newport Beach.
685 00:36:01 Kobe Bryant today turning the NBA world on its head.
686 00:36:05 -Are you saying you want to be traded? - Yeah, I would like to be traded.
687 00:36:08 Says he wants out, says he recants it and wants back.
688 00:36:13 2007 is an interesting point in his career.
689 00:36:17 He's taken a hit.
690 00:36:19 And so Kobe is fighting to regain his place.
691 00:36:22 He's fighting to restore his name as well.
692 00:36:25 He had to prove that he was a team player.
693 00:36:27 He had to prove that he was a good guy.
694 00:36:29 He had to prove himself to everybody in the world.
695 00:36:34 We knew right away how serious it was. And he always had a very serious demeanor.
696 00:36:41 You don't meet Kobe, and he's like,
697 00:36:44 "Hey, man! I'm Kobe!"
698 00:36:47 That's not the experience you have. It's more like,
699 00:36:50 "This is Kobe Bryant."
700 00:36:53 "Nice to meet you."
701 00:36:54 I'm like, "Damn," you know?
702 00:36:58 We was kind of surprised that he wanted to be a part of Team USA
703 00:37:02 after everything that had went on.
704 00:37:04 I'm not one to force a relationship with anyone,
705 00:37:07 but you sense Kobe is someone who don't really want to be fucked with.
706 00:37:11 Kobe did an interview,
707 00:37:13 and he talked about talking with a couple of his NBA friends.
708 00:37:17 And the reporters, we laughed.
709 00:37:20 'Cause we knew he didn't have any friends.
710 00:37:21 ["Top Shelf" by Outerspace feat. Sadat X playing]
711 00:37:28 Kobe had never taken the steps
712 00:37:29 to ingratiate himself with the players around the league,
713 00:37:33 so they're still eyeing him a little warily.
714 00:37:35 I knew Kobe, but I didn't know him.
715 00:37:38 Played basketball against him.
716 00:37:40 Kobe again! Yessir!
717 00:37:42 He's the best player ever. And he was he was almost untouchable.
718 00:37:47 Get up, throw your hands in the air?
719 00:37:49 Or shut up?
720 00:37:51 Man, Kob is a guy that He's a loner.
721 00:37:54 Rolls by himself. Like, he don't need nobody with him.
722 00:37:57 Like, he's that guy, and he's comfortable with that.
723 00:38:00 I don't think nobody accepted him like that at that point in time,
724 00:38:03 and I don't think he was receptive to anybody at that point in time.
725 00:38:08 In fact, the first meeting for the 2008 Olympics,
726 00:38:11 he sat by himself.
727 00:38:13 You should think about that,
728 00:38:15 because you are not just playing for Kobe Bryant or LeBron James.
729 00:38:19 You're playing for our country.
730 00:38:22 That's an amazing opportunity that is only afforded a very few people.
731 00:38:28 It was like, "Kob, look."
732 00:38:30 "You here to play with us. We here to play with you." Like
733 00:38:33 "We don't need Laker Kob."
734 00:38:34 "You know I'm saying? Like, we need Team USA Kob."
735 00:38:38 He was like, "I get it. I'm in. I'm tired of watching y'all lose."
736 00:38:42 He said that to me. "I'm tired of watching y'all lose."
737 00:38:46 -Let's go. Let's go get 'em, man. - Come on. Let's go.
738 00:38:49 -"Together." One, two, three. -Together.
739 00:38:51 It means everything.
740 00:38:53 I've been looking forward to this for a while, and to be in this position,
741 00:38:57 to be able to represent our country, man,
742 00:39:00 it's special. Special.
743 00:39:03 When we lost in 2004, um, it was a heavy blow for us.
744 00:39:08 You know, this is a sport that we've dominated for years,
745 00:39:11 and I think, you know, there was there was was a lot of beauty
746 00:39:14 in the fact that we lost, because it means that the game is growing so much
747 00:39:18 and there's so many countries that are playing at a high level.
748 00:39:21 But at the same time, it was like, "Okay. That's beautiful."
749 00:39:25 "But now we want it back." "We want it back."
750 00:39:30 For us, it was a chance, a shot at redemption.
751 00:39:33 We wanted to show the world
752 00:39:35 that we are the best basketball-playing country.
753 00:39:39 I came up to Kobe at the first practice, and I see him.
754 00:39:43 He said, "I'm glad you're here. You're gonna see something."
755 00:39:46 "You're gonna see the USA be great again."
756 00:39:48 "This is my challenge. This is bigger than anything I've ever done."
757 00:39:52 This was the start of the second chapter in the life of Kobe Bryant.
758 00:40:00 We get into the first day of scrimmage.
759 00:40:03 Stay over there, stay over there, stay over there. Come on!
760 00:40:06 This was like 30 seconds into the scrimmage,
761 00:40:09 and there was a爈oose ball.
762 00:40:12 And he's diving headfirst on the floor
763 00:40:16 over and over for the loose balls.
764 00:40:18 C'mon, Kob! Yessir!
765 00:40:20 Tell me that didn't set an example.
766 00:40:23 It set a big example.
767 00:40:24 Coming up! Help it, help it!
768 00:40:28 They dove for loose balls. They got big rebounds.
769 00:40:31 They played defense. They were in people's faces.
770 00:40:34 And all of that started with Kobe Bryant.
771 00:40:37 Growing up overseas, you know, I have a a pretty good understanding
772 00:40:41 of the emotion and the passion they play the game with over there
773 00:40:44 and how important it is to to to beat us.
774 00:40:52 We've never had a practice like this.
775 00:40:55 Knowing a lot of guys that play overseas,
776 00:40:57 they think we're a bunch of showboat players that can score a lot
777 00:40:59 and do a lot of things offensively but won't do the dirty work.
778 00:41:03 Because we're all star players, we won't do the dirty work to win
779 00:41:06 and to beat them on a consistent basis,
780 00:41:08 and to me, I think that's the thing that's gonna get us over the hump.
781 00:41:12 Oh, come on, Kob.
782 00:41:14 He knew that he had to show the guys
783 00:41:17 Ball, ball, look at the ball!
784 00:41:18 that he was all in,
785 00:41:20 and the way to do that was to play defense.
786 00:41:24 Get 'em, Kob!
787 00:41:29 That was his way of saying
788 00:41:32 to the team, you know, "You can talk about things,
789 00:41:36 but when you're actually doing it,
790 00:41:38 you know, that's the main thing."
791 00:41:44 We're in Vegas.
792 00:41:45 We're training and all that, and we want to go out.
793 00:41:47 So we all go out.
794 00:41:48 Everybody but Kob.
795 00:41:50 Think we was at we went out to, like, Club Tryst or something like that.
796 00:41:54 Big things poppin' And lil' things stoppin'?
797 00:41:57 Big things poppin' And lil' things stoppin'
798 00:42:00 We're dressed like this, dressed to impress.
799 00:42:02 Got our fly stuff on. We had a good time.
800 00:42:04 What you waitin' for? 鈥楥ause I'mma do it?
801 00:42:06 That was so much fun.
802 00:42:08 鈥楥ause I'mma do it What you waitin' for?
803 00:42:10 Come back to the hotel about 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning,
804 00:42:13 and guess who's in the lobby on his way to the gym?
805 00:42:16 Kobe is downstairs in the lobby
806 00:42:19 with his bag and his sneakers
807 00:42:21 and his gloves, like, weight weight-lifting gloves.
808 00:42:24 And we're, like, joking, "Where the fuck you going?"
809 00:42:26 "Where you going, bro?"
810 00:42:27 -"I'm going downstairs." -"I'm going to the gym."
811 00:42:31 And in my mind, I'm like,?What the fuck?"
812 00:42:33 This motherfucker Kobe was already, like, drenched in sweat.
813 00:42:37 And we was like "Yeah, he different."
814 00:42:40 Like, "Man, it's four o'clock, man. I'm"
815 00:42:42 "I'm going to sleep. I'll see you at practice."
816 00:42:46 As we're going in the elevator up to our rooms, we're like,
817 00:42:50 "Did you see did you hear that?" We're all talking, just like,
818 00:42:53 "This guy's really dedicated."
819 00:42:55 Every day, I'm hustlin' Every day, I'm hustlin'?
820 00:42:58 Next thing you know, it goes from just Kobe going at 5:30 in the morning
821 00:43:02 to LeBron and D Wade,
822 00:43:04 and by the end of the week, the whole team was getting up every morning,
823 00:43:08 and we're on Kobe's schedule.
824 00:43:10 It was a domino effect. You know, once you start seeing, like, the greats
825 00:43:14 in there doing they thing and leading that pack,
826 00:43:17 then it's like, "Oh, I'm here. I'm with you. Let's go."
827 00:43:20 And he created that. He wanted that.
828 00:43:22 He wanted to see who was gonna commit. I'm gonna be honest with you.
829 00:43:26 I wasn't going at no fucking 4:30. That's that's too early.
830 00:43:31 But we started getting down there for breakfast and lifting weights.
831 00:43:35 We would lift, then we would eat and then go to practice.
832 00:43:42 For Kobe, he was the best player,
833 00:43:46 but now LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony,
834 00:43:50 these guys were coming up.
835 00:43:52 How do you handle that?
836 00:43:54 And how do you lead a team
837 00:43:56 when you're the alpha dog?
838 00:43:59 At this time, there's literally a debate going on
839 00:44:02 in every barbershop across the country
840 00:44:04 and every household "Who's the best player?"
841 00:44:09 LeBron is the most dominant player in the game this year right now.
842 00:44:13 The most dominant player in the game.
843 00:44:14 Who do you want at the end of the game?
844 00:44:16 Kobe. Absolutely.
845 00:44:17 I say LeBron James.
846 00:44:19 -Who has more assists per game? -[fan 2] Rich.
847 00:44:20 Who has more rebounds per game? Who has more steals per game?
848 00:44:24 -Look at that boy's stats, man. -Google "most valuable player."
849 00:44:27 These two guys have been touted as greats since high school,
850 00:44:31 and, you know, it's a lot of media coverage
851 00:44:33 that kinda put them versus each other. "Who's this? Who's that? Who's the best?"
852 00:44:38 I hear the talk. You know, I think it's exciting.
853 00:44:40 As a kid growing up, you know, you wanted to see those matchups.
854 00:44:44 You wanted to see Magic and Bird. You wanted to see Michael and Magic.
855 00:44:48 And you wanted to see those matchups, just 'cause they're interesting.
856 00:44:52 Who's the best in the world? Is it Kobe? Is it Bron?
857 00:44:55 Is it Bron? Is it Kobe?
858 00:44:56 I heard it, and it was definitely on my mind,
859 00:44:59 'cause as alpha males, you always got in the back of your mind, saying,
860 00:45:03 "I want to be recognized as the greatest in the game."
861 00:45:06 Everyone had to make sure their relationship worked,
862 00:45:10 because if that didn't work,
863 00:45:11 there's no way in hell none of this was gonna work.
864 00:45:14 Coach K, I thought, did a wonderful job of making sure that things were competitive
865 00:45:19 but they didn't get out of hand.
866 00:45:21 You gotta separate the rams, right?
867 00:45:23 Like, keep the two bulls separated if we want to have a good practice.
868 00:45:31 Where you would think that there might be a butting of heads,
869 00:45:35 you know, those two guys were amazing as far as developing a relationship.
870 00:45:42 Humor played a big part in the whole thing.
871 00:45:45 At shooting guard, number 10,
872 00:45:47 from Philadelphia-slash-Italy.
873 00:45:52 Listen, I understand Kobe is serious as hell when it comes to work,
874 00:45:56 but he want to smile too, and he want to feel accepted too, so
875 00:46:00 The Marksman-slash-Mamba Kobe!
876 00:46:04 Right! Right! Right!
877 00:46:06 I mean, I don't call myself a comedian,
878 00:46:08 but one thing about him, he's always gonna keep his guard up.
879 00:46:11 But it was a relief for the whole team and just for the program
880 00:46:14 to see him in a different light.
881 00:46:17 I was talking to a dude yesterday from Croatia who said,
882 00:46:19 "If Dwight Howard come down to Atlanta, I'm gonna punch him in his mouth."
883 00:46:23 He's he's hilarious.
884 00:46:25 I mean nonstop, though. You know what I mean? Like, it don't stop.
885 00:46:30 Bang bang! Game time!
886 00:46:33 It's fun for me to be around and see that kind of enthusiasm,
887 00:46:36 because we both have the same passion. We just show it in different ways.
888 00:46:40 - Come on! -By yourself,爏creen right!
889 00:46:42 I'm a vocal-type guy.
890 00:46:44 -You know, and Kobe is is not much vocal. -I don't say nothing.
891 00:46:48 Yeah, he don't talk much, but I do most of the talking.
892 00:46:51 But with that combined is is is danger for for the opponent.
893 00:46:55 You're all by yourself, Mike! Down! Down! Down! Down!
894 00:47:00 You guys know what he do on the court as far as his example.
895 00:47:05 Oh yeah! That's off.
896 00:47:06 Shadow! Shadow!
897 00:47:09 They just played off each other so beautifully,
898 00:47:11 and you got two alphas in the prime of their careers
899 00:47:14 that don't care about who the alpha is.
900 00:47:17 Very rare.
901 00:47:18 Go!
902 00:47:20 Back to you!
903 00:47:22 - And one, Bron! And one, Bron!
904 00:47:26 Way to run the floor, boy!
905 00:47:29 They knew that the key to the team would be
906 00:47:33 how their relationship was and how it was perceived by everyone.
907 00:47:39 -That's the word. -That's the word, huh?
908 00:47:41 That's the word.
909 00:47:47 Guys, there are going to be people in 50 states looking at you guys.
910 00:47:52 There are going to be kids, people everywhere wanting to have pride
911 00:47:56 in all all of you.
912 00:47:57 You know? They're not going to be Laker fans, Cavalier fans.
913 00:48:01 They're looking to be USA Basketball fans.
914 00:48:05 Understand that responsibility.
915 00:48:09 I know I'm not gonna fucking lose.
916 00:48:12 Shit, man.
917 00:48:13 I am not gonna fucking lose.
918 00:48:15 Not when I'm wearing this and at this time in my career.
919 00:48:18 You're gonna have to fucking shoot me.
920 00:48:20 That's the I'm telling you, that's the way I want you guys to play.
921 00:48:24 Now, I'm a grandfather. I got five grandkids.
922 00:48:28 At one time in your life,
923 00:48:30 you sumbitches are gonna have maybe an artificial hip or a knee,
924 00:48:34 or you're gonna be fucking losing your hair.
925 00:48:37 Gonna be a little fucking pouch on your fucking stomach.
926 00:48:41 And there's gonna be a grandson sitting on your lap and saying,
927 00:48:45 "Hey, Poppy," or "Granddad."
928 00:48:47 "Yeah?" "Weren't you in the Olympics?"
929 00:48:49 "Yeah." "What did you do?"
930 00:48:52 "Well, son, we lost to that fucking Greek team."
931 00:48:58 "Where's Grandma?
932 00:49:03 Las Vegas, Nevada, the City of Lights.
933 00:49:06 Ten teams coming to the city courting more than just Lady Luck.
934 00:49:10 They are looking for something precious, looking forward to next summer.
935 00:49:14 At stake, two spots in the upcoming Olympic Games.
936 00:49:20 You know, tonight's, uh, the first game,
937 00:49:22 the first kind of step in that direction.
938 00:49:24 And we're ready to go. So it's the beginning of a long journey.
939 00:49:31 -"USA" on three. One, two, three. - USA!
940 00:49:34 All right, let's go.
941 00:49:36 I think Oh my God!
942 00:49:38 Kobe Bryant!
943 00:49:40 The windmill.
944 00:49:42 Oh, and then the block at the other end by LeBron James!
945 00:49:45 Here he is with Jason Kidd on the break. He put that off the board.
946 00:49:49 LeBron燡ames with the finish!
947 00:49:52 Great teamwork and the slam!
948 00:49:55 -Kobe Bryant staying on it.
949 00:49:57 And it's called!
950 00:49:59 Oh! Kobe Bryant will go to the line with a chance at a three-point play!
951 00:50:03 A spectacular play by Kobe Bryant.
952 00:50:06 This is where we blow the game open. Let's not let up.
953 00:50:10 Ten minutes, boy!
954 00:50:12 The way these guys have played together
955 00:50:14 and and the unselfishness,
956 00:50:15 the ball movement.
957 00:50:17 This is an unstoppable team.
958 00:50:19 They finish with a perfect record
959 00:50:21 in the FIBA Americas.
960 00:50:22 And it's all over. The gold medal belongs to the US.
961 00:50:26 I think they should all be happy and proud.
962 00:50:28 They accomplished what they wanted to do. They're headed for Beijing.
963 00:50:32 And, uh, world, look out. US is making a statement.
964 00:50:35 Okay, yo, great job.
965 00:50:38 Great job, everybody. We're going to China.
966 00:50:41 They are definitely hitting their stride.
967 00:50:43 Now, maintaining that momentum almost a full year away,
968 00:50:48 that's going to be the key. You also have the unknown.
969 00:50:50 Who is going to be there, who might not be there,
970 00:50:53 and you can't predict who's going to have problems physically.
971 00:50:57 Unfortunately, that is going to occur over the course of a long NBA season.
972 00:51:07 Here he comes!
973 00:51:09 Dwyane Wade, another two!
974 00:51:11 He's got 55!
975 00:51:15 Oh, Wade, what a play!
976 00:51:17 Wow.
977 00:51:19 I think, at that time, Kobe, LeBron, and myself
978 00:51:21 were the three best players in the NBA.
979 00:51:23 -Here he comes! -
980 00:51:26 - Yes! -Oh, baby, he did it again!
981 00:51:33 And is that Wade over there?
982 00:51:35 You see there as the arm gets extended back.
983 00:51:38 Kara Lawson over there on the sideline telling us that is a shoulder injury.
984 00:51:44 [somber music playing]
985 00:51:45 So I had came off a serious injury,
986 00:51:49 and it took a while for me to build myself to be
987 00:51:51 back to that place when a lot of people didn't think I would.
988 00:51:54 No one thought I would even be on the Olympic team
989 00:51:57 because I didn't recover the way I needed to,
990 00:52:01 uh, and then I was having knee problems, so I got surgery on both.
991 00:52:06 Wade is rehabilitating his surgically repaired left knee
992 00:52:09 back home in Chicago.
993 00:52:11 The drills are basic, and the weight training is intense.
994 00:52:15 Dwyane, for me, he was critical.
995 00:52:19 Wade has gone from NBA champion
996 00:52:22 to missing major playing time on the court.
997 00:52:24 Now he's not just trying to get back on the court.
998 00:52:27 Wade is aiming for a spot on the US Olympic team this summer.
999 00:52:30 Coach K definitely wanted me to be a part of the team.
1000 00:52:34 Right? But Jerry Colangelo had some questions.
1001 00:52:38 I did share with them my my thoughts.
1002 00:52:40 Uh, I talked about when he came into the league,
1003 00:52:43 he was really hungry, and he really established himself.
1004 00:52:47 But it appeared to me from a distance,
1005 00:52:50 I felt that was missing.
1006 00:52:51 He wasn't the same guy.
1007 00:52:54 You see the ascension and then injury.
1008 00:52:57 And let's be frank.
1009 00:52:58 The Heat sucked that year before
1010 00:53:00 and, I think, the year before that too.
1011 00:53:03 I mean, they had a rough run of it.
1012 00:53:09 They had to come up to Chicago, watch me train, watch me work out.
1013 00:53:13 You know, talk to my trainer.
1014 00:53:15 I did understand that, but I was pissed,
1015 00:53:17 because it was just a part of, like, my never-ending story of,
1016 00:53:22 you know, always feeling like they don't appreciate you.
1017 00:53:25 You've been forgotten. So it was just another part of like,
1018 00:53:28 "Okay, here we go. Grade school? Same thing."
1019 00:53:30 "High school? Same thing. NBA? Same thing. Olympic--"
1020 00:53:32 You know, same thing.
1021 00:53:35 I was just trying to get myself back, get myself, you know, to that place.
1022 00:53:38 But I'm just sitting back watching, like, "Okay, where do I fit in?"
1023 00:53:42 Because I didn't know if I fit in or not no more.
1024 00:54:02 I didn't think D Wade was gonna play in '08.
1025 00:54:05 And then he showed up with number nine
1026 00:54:09 and a bald head.
1027 00:54:11 And it was like, "Oh, okay."
1028 00:54:13 "This is what we doing right here? This is what we doing? Aight."
1029 00:54:18 These are all guys that are committed to this team,
1030 00:54:20 who wanted to be on this team from the beginning.
1031 00:54:22 This is the team that's gonna go over there.
1032 00:54:24 This is the team that's gonna put USA back on top.
1033 00:54:27 Eyes right here.
1034 00:54:33 You have to know what you're going for.
1035 00:54:36 And sometimes, you have to see it, and you have to see it every day.
1036 00:54:39 What we're gonna do is we're gonna have notebooks for you.
1037 00:54:43 And the very first page of this notebook will be right here,
1038 00:54:47 the gold medal.
1039 00:54:49 That's our goal,
1040 00:54:51 is the gold medal.
1041 00:54:53 Any of you other guys have coaching staff or anybody?
1042 00:54:56 We gotta be a no-excuse team. I know I'm guilty of this sometimes.
1043 00:55:00 I sit at home and say,
1044 00:55:01 "If I had Dwight Howard on my team or if I had Carlos Boozer on my team
1045 00:55:06 or if I had Chris Paul as my point guard, I'd win an NBA championship."
1046 00:55:10 I got all y'all on this team. So, what's my excuse now?
1047 00:55:13 Do we all have an excuse? We don't.
1048 00:55:15 This is everything that we always dreamed of,
1049 00:55:18 of having that guy next to you and winning something.
1050 00:55:20 I don't have no excuse now.
1051 00:55:23 None of us.
1052 00:55:28 For me, the Olympics and basketball was always very important
1053 00:55:32 because of what my dad went through in 1972.
1054 00:55:36 Growing up, every Olympic cycle,
1055 00:55:38 there were always stories every four years
1056 00:55:40 about that game in Munich.
1057 00:55:42 49-48. Three seconds on the clock.
1058 00:55:47 Doug Collins will be shooting two fouls.
1059 00:55:52 This place goes insane.
1060 00:55:54 Doug Collins has perhaps won the game.
1061 00:56:00 Wow, what a finish!
1062 00:56:01 The United States winning their eighth consecutive gold medal.
1063 00:56:10 Now we're being told the scoreboard is not correct.
1064 00:56:15 We had a guy come out of the stands to put more time back on the clock.
1065 00:56:20 There are another three seconds left.
1066 00:56:24 Now the clock says three seconds.
1067 00:56:27 There is time for the Russians to go to their big man, Alexander Belov.
1068 00:56:31 They're going to try.
1069 00:56:35 Alexander Belov!
1070 00:56:41 And this time, it is over.
1071 00:56:50 My dad told me Coach K asked if he would come in
1072 00:56:52 and talk to the team.
1073 00:56:54 I think Coach K realized that he, more than anybody,
1074 00:56:58 could get across to the guys what it meant to play in the Olympics.
1075 00:57:02 Believe me, when I walked in that room,
1076 00:57:04 my heart was racing.
1077 00:57:06 And I was nervous.
1078 00:57:08 I knew about it a little bit, but I didn't know the full story
1079 00:57:12 of how we got cheated in the Olympics.
1080 00:57:16 I spoke from the heart about my experience in '72.
1081 00:57:21 And I said, "I want you to hear the national anthem."
1082 00:57:25 "That's the last song I want you to hear."
1083 00:57:28 "I want you to get on that podium to get that gold medal for the United States."
1084 00:57:32 "It'll be a moment you'll never forget ever in your entire life."
1085 00:57:36 "And you'll be bonded for the rest of your life in joy."
1086 00:57:39 "My team is bonded in pain,
1087 00:57:41 and I don't want you to ever have that feeling."
1088 00:57:43 It it just ties us together when someone can share their pain,
1089 00:57:47 understanding what he went through and that he lived with it.
1090 00:57:50 Not that it just disappeared, and like he forgot about it,
1091 00:57:53 but he thinks about that on a daily basis.
1092 00:57:57 So many of these guys, they had a connection with me.
1093 00:58:01 I had a connection with LeBron.
1094 00:58:02 I broadcast LeBron's first game ever in the NBA.
1095 00:58:05 I broadcast his first two games.
1096 00:58:08 Kobe Bryant, I played with his dad.
1097 00:58:12 I went back to the '78-'79 yearbook. I just took a picture of the yearbook,
1098 00:58:17 of baby Kobe sitting on his dad's lap.
1099 00:58:21 My daughter was born that year.
1100 00:58:23 I mean, I had connections with these guys.
1101 00:58:27 And so it was personal. It was personal to me.
1102 00:58:34 Hey, fellas.
1103 00:58:36 I just want to show you something.
1104 00:58:39 This is gonna be our song, yeah,
1105 00:58:41 with one of the greatest artists of all time singing it in 1983.
1106 00:58:47 Coach K said they wanted us to hear our national anthem.
1107 00:58:50 - can you see?-[crowd cheering on recording]
1108 00:58:53 And it was Marvin Gaye's national anthem.
1109 00:58:56 By the dawn's?
1110 00:59:00 Early light?
1111 00:59:05 To me, it's the best national anthem that there is.
1112 00:59:10 We all had goosebumps,
1113 00:59:12 and I'll never forget it.
1114 00:59:13 The star-spangled?
1115 00:59:17 Sometimes when you're younger, and you're playing the game of basketball
1116 00:59:20 banner?
1117 00:59:22 you don't understand the history as well as you should.
1118 00:59:29 Being African-American, sometimes,
1119 00:59:31 we have to understand what it took for us to be where we are today.
1120 00:59:38 And the home?
1121 00:59:41 And we have to understand the people that laid down the sacrifice for us.
1122 00:59:46 Home of the brave?
1123 00:59:57 All right. Let's bring it in. Bring it in one time. Let's go. Let's go.
1124 01:00:01 -"USA" on three. One, two, three. - USA!
1125 01:00:17 Welcome to Beijing,
1126 01:00:18 the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Games.
1127 01:00:24 The moment has arrived.
1128 01:00:31 And the focus of China and the world is on the National Stadium.
1129 01:00:41 Listen to the rousing welcome to the USA team.
1130 01:00:45 Kobe Bryant, the NBA star, hoping to lead the Redeem Team.
1131 01:00:50 Dwyane Wade right in front of him, from the Miami Heat.
1132 01:00:55 I remember taking that walk.
1133 01:00:56 As you walking, everyone's screaming. You trying to wave and stuff.
1134 01:01:01 I just remember Kobe just kept He kept doing this to people.
1135 01:01:11 Normally, wherever we go, it's the Olympic team. We're a big deal.
1136 01:01:14 Some players are more popular than others, but it's still the Olympic team.
1137 01:01:18 When got to China, it wasn't even close.
1138 01:01:21 It was, "Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe."
1139 01:01:25 Kobe! Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!
1140 01:01:32 -Who's your favorite? -Kobe.
1141 01:01:33 Oh, Kobe Bryant.
1142 01:01:35 Kobe is the best.
1143 01:01:36 Kobe's celebrity was like Michael Jackson about to go on tour
1144 01:01:40 back in the day.
1145 01:01:41 I mean, a girl fainted right in front of us,
1146 01:01:43 trying to get to Kobe.
1147 01:01:45 Kobe!
1148 01:01:47 It's a bit overwhelming and a little embarrassing, to be honest.
1149 01:01:50 I'm just trying to blend in and, you know, duck my head down,
1150 01:01:53 'cause I just want to be part of the mix, but nonetheless, it's extremely special.
1151 01:01:58 It was thousands of fans waiting at the hotel.
1152 01:02:01 Kobe! Kobe!
1153 01:02:03 They couldn't get close to the hotel,
1154 01:02:05 but they were waiting to take pictures of our bus
1155 01:02:07 'cause they knew Kobe Bryant was on the bus.
1156 01:02:10 Kobe! Kobe!
1157 01:02:15 People went nuts for him. China loved him.
1158 01:02:19 And I think he realized that his responsibility was bigger
1159 01:02:22 than just to the Lakers.
1160 01:02:23 It was bigger than just to the NBA. It was to the whole country.
1161 01:02:28 Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and the United States,
1162 01:02:31 they'll face off against Greece.
1163 01:02:34 And this one has some extra juice, because it was back in 2006
1164 01:02:38 where the United States were upset, a huge upset by Greece in the semifinals.
1165 01:02:42 They had to settle for the bronze medal in those games.
1166 01:02:45 A lot of players went through a lot of hurt because this team beat us
1167 01:02:49 two years before.
1168 01:02:50 We were called "The Redeem Team." Well, okay, let's redeem it right now.
1169 01:02:54 So we're set to go.
1170 01:02:57 This Greek team, that's now been together for several years,
1171 01:03:00 has become a very, very good team.
1172 01:03:02 Nice move, Spanoulis, who's a lefty, using the right hand.
1173 01:03:06 And Greece off to a great start.
1174 01:03:09 Nice feed inside, and Fotsis on the finish.
1175 01:03:13 The United States right now getting broken down defensively
1176 01:03:16 very early in this first quarter.
1177 01:03:19 Chris Bosh comes in.
1178 01:03:21 A guy like me, I knew I had to do something,
1179 01:03:24 uh, to be able to prove my value with that team.
1180 01:03:26 I made more of an effort to be, uh, a defender.
1181 01:03:32 Chris Bosh, excellent defense, forcing the turnover.
1182 01:03:35 Paul, the ball fake, pretty play.
1183 01:03:37 And the United States have tied the game.
1184 01:03:39 USA defense creating offense.
1185 01:03:42 Here's Wade with the steal.
1186 01:03:43 Here's LeBron James and the slam!
1187 01:03:47 Spanoulis blocked by Bosh!
1188 01:03:49 Spanoulis blocked by James!
1189 01:03:51 Rebound, Zisis blocked by Bosh!
1190 01:03:54 Zisis blocked by James again!
1191 01:03:56 James finds Bosh
1192 01:03:58 Count it and a foul! Wow!
1193 01:04:01 There's Wade, another steal.
1194 01:04:03 Excellent defense. Throws it and
1195 01:04:07 Dwyane Wade with a spectacular pass, then Kobe Bryant with the finish!
1196 01:04:12 That's the play of the tournament right there.
1197 01:04:14 And the United States passed their first real test here in Beijing.
1198 01:04:18 A dominant victory against a very good team from Greece.
1199 01:04:24 Our goal was to win the respect of our country
1200 01:04:28 and win the respect of the world.
1201 01:04:31 We weren't gonna be the ugly Americans.
1202 01:04:34 It's also about respecting your opponent.
1203 01:04:36 We really want to beat people. We want to put it on them.
1204 01:04:39 But you don't want to embarrass them. It'd be disrespectful.
1205 01:04:41 We feel like this is such a great stage
1206 01:04:44 for people to see worldwide what a beautiful game this is.
1207 01:04:47 It doesn't make sense to go out there and get in a confrontation.
1208 01:04:50 We're two teams playing hard, loving the game of basketball,
1209 01:04:52 and doing what we do best. That's what the Olympics are about.
1210 01:04:57 What was different was being in the Olympic Village.
1211 01:04:59 When you're in the cafeteria, it's just this massive cafeteria.
1212 01:05:02 You look around, you have some of the best in the world at what they do.
1213 01:05:06 So for me, that's that's even more special
1214 01:05:09 than being out in LA and seeing celebrities walking around,
1215 01:05:12 because it's athlete to athlete.
1216 01:05:14 I understand what they put their body through to get here.
1217 01:05:17 So there's so much mutual respect and admiration.
1218 01:05:20 [man speaking Spanish]
1219 01:05:22 -Thanks. - Very welcome, very welcome.
1220 01:05:24 Because we were, like, sheltered in '04,
1221 01:05:27 we didn't get the real Olympic experience.
1222 01:05:31 You know, so we was going out to as many events as we could.
1223 01:05:40 We want to get out. That was a part of another check mark of,
1224 01:05:43 "We need to change the culture of the way the Olympics and how we're perceived."
1225 01:05:47 The whole team would go together, or individuals would go together
1226 01:05:51 just to be around the other athletes.
1227 01:05:53 USA!
1228 01:05:56 We're all just fans, sitting there, cheering for our USA athletes,
1229 01:05:59 and there's no greater feeling.
1230 01:06:01 It was cool to be able to have a schedule too.
1231 01:06:03 Like, on your off days, "I'm going to see Michael Phelps swim."
1232 01:06:07 Michael Phelps, man.
1233 01:06:09 It was just remarkable to be able to see him and watch him dominate.
1234 01:06:15 We wanted people to come and support us.
1235 01:06:17 We wanted to the same thing. We wanted to go out and support them.
1236 01:06:19 We wanted to build some kind of camaraderie as the US.
1237 01:06:23 The one thing in going to see someone great in another sport
1238 01:06:27 These guys are great in their sport. They get to see greatness.
1239 01:06:36 I think it made our guys even better prepared
1240 01:06:38 for their competition.
1241 01:06:42 And now it's time for THE GAME, in capital letters,
1242 01:06:45 of these Olympics.
1243 01:06:46 Tomorrow, at 16:15, live at RTVE,
1244 01:06:50 the clash of the titans, the top of the top in basketball,
1245 01:06:53 Spain vs. USA.
1246 01:06:55 Spain is the defending world champions.
1247 01:06:57 We're both undefeated, and, um
1248 01:06:59 This is the game everybody was waiting to see.
1249 01:07:01 What about you and Pau?
1250 01:07:03 Your and Pau's relationship?
1251 01:07:05 We're like brothers. I mean, we're very, very close.
1252 01:07:08 And I'm very happy for him that he's playing well.
1253 01:07:11 I mean we're we're very, very tight.
1254 01:07:14 So it's tough to compete against him.
1255 01:07:18 Right before the game, Kobe came to see me
1256 01:07:21 when they came to visit the Village.
1257 01:07:24 I remember that very clearly and vividly.
1258 01:07:26 My big brother came to see me with my teammates,
1259 01:07:31 which everyone was like, "Whoa, Kobe's in our apartment. How cool."
1260 01:07:34 And I believe, you know, that might have been part of his strategy
1261 01:07:38 to kind of soften me up.
1262 01:07:40 Now it's time for the United States to battle
1263 01:07:43 what many feel is their toughest foe in these Olympic Games.
1264 01:07:46 Spain. Both teams come in 3 and 0.
1265 01:07:48 They're the two best teams. They're the two gold medal hopefuls.
1266 01:07:52 Kob said he gonna set the tone to start the game. He said,
1267 01:07:55 "I'm running through Pau's fucking chest."
1268 01:07:57 "First play of the game, I'm running through Pau Gasol."
1269 01:08:00 And we was like, "What?"
1270 01:08:01 "Man, you trippin'. That's your teammate. You trippin'. You ain't about to do that."
1271 01:08:06 "First play of the game, I know what they're gonna run."
1272 01:08:08 He knew Pau's gonna be the last screen.
1273 01:08:10 He said, "I'm running through that motherfucker."
1274 01:08:13 I swear, the first play of the game
1275 01:08:15 Go! Go, Kob!
1276 01:08:21 We was like
1277 01:08:24 "Holy shit."
1278 01:08:27 He just went right into the middle of my chest,
1279 01:08:29 tried to get right through me
1280 01:08:31 to send a message.
1281 01:08:33 Not just to me but to his teammates, to say, "Hey, this might be my brother."
1282 01:08:37 "I play with him. We're close."
1283 01:08:40 "But I don't care about anything else but winning."
1284 01:08:44 I'm right there in front of him, and he's like, bow! [oohing]
1285 01:08:50 Yo!
1286 01:08:53 He was just like, "No, he ain't my teammate right now."
1287 01:08:55 "Fuck him. Get up." I'm like,
1288 01:08:58 "I love this energy. This is what we need."
1289 01:09:00 We was like, "He did that to his teammate? Oh my God."
1290 01:09:03 "Oh, ain't no way we losing this game. We about to beat the shit out of Spain."
1291 01:09:08 Kobe Bryant.
1292 01:09:09 Open three. Knocks it down.
1293 01:09:11 Alley-oop to James!
1294 01:09:13 Nice pass! Paul to Howard,
1295 01:09:16 as they're putting some exclamation points on what is a terrific victory.
1296 01:09:21 In a big matchup against the two best teams,
1297 01:09:23 it has been no contest,
1298 01:09:26 all USA.
1299 01:09:30 It's the United States versus Argentina.
1300 01:09:33 And what a matchup we have, Doug. First off, because of the revenge factor.
1301 01:09:36 Again, the United States, this same time in 2004,
1302 01:09:39 they lose to Argentina in the semifinals.
1303 01:09:42 And the United States will not win gold in Athens.
1304 01:09:46 Look at the disappointment in the United States.
1305 01:09:49 Argentina moves on to the gold medal game.
1306 01:09:53 The United States will play for the bronze.
1307 01:09:57 All four of us, man, we had that game circled.
1308 01:09:59 Me, D Wade, Bron, and Melo were
1309 01:10:01 Like, "We want this game. No matter what, dominate."
1310 01:10:05 Yeah, man, we wanna smack them. We need a little get-back on Argentina.
1311 01:10:09 I remember getting the, uh the report on the other team.
1312 01:10:12 I'm sitting there and going down the scouting report.
1313 01:10:15 It said Manu Gin贸bili's name comes up.
1314 01:10:17 Gin贸bili in 2008, the media was saying
1315 01:10:20 that Gin贸bili might be the best shooting guard in the world.
1316 01:10:24 I just remember, we about to play them,
1317 01:10:26 and we do our film, and Coach K, he has, like, a highlight tape
1318 01:10:31 of, like, Gin贸bili. Like, that's our film session.
1319 01:10:33 Manu around that screen, drives on Skinner.
1320 01:10:36 All the way in with the left hand off the glass. Nice move from Gin贸bili.
1321 01:10:38 The right-wing three! It's a Manu tres.
1322 01:10:42 Gin贸bili knows how to score, hammers it.
1323 01:10:45 Yo, please turn this shit off.
1324 01:10:46 Like, we don't want to keep watching this shit.
1325 01:10:50 And Manu again!
1326 01:10:52 Then we get to the game. Coach K has printed out paper
1327 01:10:57 and put it in everybody's seat.
1328 01:10:58 Different quotes that people were saying about Gin贸bili.
1329 01:11:02 On mine it says, "Manu Gin贸bili. Second-best shooting guard in the NBA."
1330 01:11:06 I lost it. I lost it.
1331 01:11:09 Now, I could give you Kobe. I'll give you Kobe.
1332 01:11:13 But I'm not giving you Manu, right?
1333 01:11:15 I just need a little bit of Manu. Need a little bit of that matchup.
1334 01:11:19 In Kobe's seat, he put the quote
1335 01:11:22 about Gin贸bili being the best two guard爄n the world.
1336 01:11:26 And you saw him go from Kobe Bryant
1337 01:11:30 to Black Mamba like
1338 01:11:32 -Like that.
1339 01:11:33 We huddled up. He was like, "Listen, I got Gin贸bili."
1340 01:11:38 "That shit ends today."
1341 01:11:41 In that game, we were ready.
1342 01:11:45 It was the game I think Kobe was most ready for.
1343 01:11:53 Superb defense by Kobe Bryant.
1344 01:11:55 This is the game within the game right here.
1345 01:11:58 Here's Jason Kidd. He's still not missed a shot.
1346 01:12:02 James gets inside, up and under, left-handed, pretty play.
1347 01:12:06 Carmelo Anthony nails it.
1348 01:12:09 And we were demolishing them.
1349 01:12:13 Kobe Bryant hangs in the air and banks it in.
1350 01:12:16 And Gin贸bili got hurt.
1351 01:12:18 And this is a bad, bad sign, obviously, for Argentina.
1352 01:12:22 Gin贸bili going back to the Argentina locker room.
1353 01:12:25 And instead of going ahead, it was almost like,
1354 01:12:28 "Well, now we got it." And it became a close game.
1355 01:12:32 Delfino with the drop-off to Scola.
1356 01:12:34 Scola puts it in!
1357 01:12:36 And it's a six-point game.
1358 01:12:37 We were so, "Manu," you know, hyped.
1359 01:12:40 And then Manu went down. It was like, "Oh."
1360 01:12:43 It just took the air out of the moment.
1361 01:12:46 They were trailing by 21 in the second.
1362 01:12:49 Since that point, and without Gin贸bili,
1363 01:12:51 they've outscored the United States 27 to 12.
1364 01:12:55 The last thing we wanted to see is Manu go out with a foot injury.
1365 01:12:58 You know, we want to dominate whoever's on the floor,
1366 01:13:00 but we wanted them at full strength.
1367 01:13:04 Nice entry pass! Good ball movement!
1368 01:13:06 Anthony misses. Bosh on the follow.
1369 01:13:10 Paul, nice feed inside. Dwyane Wade to finish.
1370 01:13:14 They're able to hold on, despite Argentina playing their hearts out
1371 01:13:17 trying to come back.
1372 01:13:19 They're 36 hours away from playing
1373 01:13:22 for what these guys dreamed about, and that was winning a gold medal.
1374 01:13:37 All right, here we go. Like I said, today's Kobe Bryant's 30th birthday,
1375 01:13:41 and we're gonna sing "Happy Birthday" on three.
1376 01:13:44 Kobe kept telling us, "Nah, don't do nothing."
1377 01:13:47 "I know y'all planning something. Don't do nothing."
1378 01:13:49 One, two, three.
1379 01:13:52 Happy birthday to you?
1380 01:13:56 Happy birthday to you?
1381 01:14:00 Happy birthday, dear Kobe?
1382 01:14:05 Mamba
1383 01:14:06 Happy birthday to you!?
1384 01:14:11 You know, he always had this wall up with people,
1385 01:14:14 and he was always a competitor with everybody.
1386 01:14:19 You could tell he was super excited because we did it.
1387 01:14:23 Like, "Wow, they really opened they arms up for me."
1388 01:14:26 That birthday celebration put the stamp on it.
1389 01:14:36 Welcome back. The time has come.
1390 01:14:39 We head out now to the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium,
1391 01:14:42 the gold medal game.
1392 01:14:43 The United States gets set to take on Spain.
1393 01:14:46 "USA" on three. One, two, three.
1394 01:14:48 - USA! - Let's go.
1395 01:14:50 Hello, everyone. Today, a new Olympic champion
1396 01:14:52 will be crowned in men's basketball.
1397 01:14:54 The United States, undefeated in Beijing.
1398 01:14:57 They've won by an average margin of over 30 points per game.
1399 01:15:00 But it will not mean a thing unless Mike Krzyzewski and his team
1400 01:15:03 finish off Spain,
1401 01:15:04 who many think is the second-best team.
1402 01:15:07 A lot of players on this Spanish roster have NBA experience,
1403 01:15:10 led by Pau Gasol and his younger brother, Marc.
1404 01:15:12 We're here, we have a chance, so let's go out there and do this.
1405 01:15:15 It's just a matter of being aggressive,
1406 01:15:18 not being fearful, attacking them, putting them on on their heels.
1407 01:15:23 The last time these two teams played,
1408 01:15:25 Pau Gasol, if you remember, was floored by Kobe Bryant
1409 01:15:28 on the first play of the first minute.
1410 01:15:30 He said it was a cheap shot that shows that Kobe is ready to compete
1411 01:15:33 and wouldn't be surprised if he did it again today.
1412 01:15:36 And we knew that it was gonna be a dogfight
1413 01:15:40 because of how badly we beat 'em the first time.
1414 01:15:42 We had to be mentally sharp.
1415 01:15:44 That was literally the commitment that we made for three years
1416 01:15:48 to get to this moment.
1417 01:15:56 LeBron James knocks down the three to start the game.
1418 01:16:02 Rubio, beautiful feed to Gasol.
1419 01:16:05 And Spain has the lead.
1420 01:16:09 -Jimnez fouled on his way to the basket.
1421 01:16:12 That's gonna be LeBron James' second foul.
1422 01:16:15 That's a critical foul. Remember, you only get five.
1423 01:16:18 So LeBron James picks up two quick fouls.
1424 01:16:20 We've talked about how he has been the catalyst of this team's defense.
1425 01:16:24 He's the emotional leader.
1426 01:16:25 Mike Krzyzewski rolling dice here a little bit.
1427 01:16:27 He's gonna let LeBron James play with these two fouls.
1428 01:16:32 Here's Kobe fouling a three-point shooter. That's his second.
1429 01:16:36 So we've already seen the two leaders from the United States
1430 01:16:40 with a couple bad fouls.
1431 01:16:42 So not a good start by the United States
1432 01:16:44 with their two leaders on the bench with fouls.
1433 01:16:47 Well, first half was disjointed, uh, because of foul trouble.
1434 01:16:51 Now, there were more minutes,
1435 01:16:53 and people were playing, uh uh, different roles.
1436 01:16:57 They bring in Dwyane Wade
1437 01:16:59 and Deron Williams a little earlier than expected.
1438 01:17:02 Sometimes, you feel like you've been there before, you've done this.
1439 01:17:05 I knew I was gonna have a big game. And when I got in, I got right to it.
1440 01:17:08 Wade to the basket, goes inside, beautiful move.
1441 01:17:13 There's Wade with the steal.
1442 01:17:18 Not only did I get two fouls early, Kobe did too,
1443 01:17:21 and that set the stage for D Wade.
1444 01:17:25 Wade hits the three.
1445 01:17:28 There's Wade, another steal.
1446 01:17:30 Anticipates perfectly and finishes at the other end.
1447 01:17:33 Eighteen points off the bench.
1448 01:17:35 Seriously, if you got D Wade coming off of your bench,
1449 01:17:38 you got the greatest international team ever.
1450 01:17:40 I got the moment in an Olympic game to help keep the reins for the team
1451 01:17:44 until our big dogs could get back on the court.
1452 01:17:48 Paul throws it ahead. Kobe Bryant, up and in.
1453 01:17:50 Gorgeous feed and a superb finish.
1454 01:17:53 We hitting 'em. We hitting 'em with haymakers. But they not falling.
1455 01:17:58 There's Fernandez. Hits a three.
1456 01:18:00 Two minutes remaining. Fernandez
1457 01:18:04 Oh! How does he put that in? A little shake-and-bake one-on-one,
1458 01:18:08 then the rainbow drops.
1459 01:18:10 Well, that's how you spring an upset.
1460 01:18:12 By shooting out of your mind, knocking down threes you normally don't make,
1461 01:18:15 by getting second-chance points
1462 01:18:17 and putting the pressure on the United States.
1463 01:18:19 As an athlete, you love those moments. You have to love those games.
1464 01:18:23 Wade for three again!
1465 01:18:25 [buzzer blaring]
1466 01:18:27 And that will end a wild first half.
1467 01:18:31 Dwyane's points in the first half kept us afloat.
1468 01:18:34 In an international game, the sooner you can put 'em away, the better.
1469 01:18:38 But we could never never pull away from them.
1470 01:18:41 United States leading Spain 69-61.
1471 01:18:45 USA trying to bounce back from the disappointing Olympics in 2004.
1472 01:18:49 Perhaps the second most disappointing Olympics
1473 01:18:52 for the United States men in basketball. Number one has to be in Munich in 1972.
1474 01:18:56 Doug Collins, you were on the team playing against the Soviet Union
1475 01:18:59 in the gold medal game.
1476 01:19:01 And there are a couple of people involved who want to win this game for that team
1477 01:19:04 and for you. Of course, your son Chris, who's an assistant coach,
1478 01:19:07 and LeBron James said yesterday too,
1479 01:19:10 you talked to the team about how to represent the country
1480 01:19:13 and what it meant to be an Olympian. He said he wants to win this for you.
1481 01:19:16 That was nice of LeBron. I did speak to the team.
1482 01:19:19 They're 20 minutes away from getting it done.
1483 01:19:23 So United States coming out, and you can feel the tension.
1484 01:19:26 They know what's at stake here.
1485 01:19:28 Gasol against Howard.
1486 01:19:31 Shot clock at five.
1487 01:19:33 -Gasol using the left hand. -
1488 01:19:35 And all of a sudden, it's a four-point game.
1489 01:19:38 As you get closer to the end,
1490 01:19:40 and you're staying within striking distance,
1491 01:19:42 then you have a shot.
1492 01:19:44 Now, it's like you can really win it.
1493 01:19:46 So let's just turn it up.
1494 01:19:48 Navarro, nice runner in the lane.
1495 01:19:53 Navarro, again, likes that runner and puts it in again.
1496 01:19:57 Spain shooting 60% from the field, and they're back within four!
1497 01:20:02 I knew all game long that we had a chance, that you have a you have a shot.
1498 01:20:06 Everyone saw that we had a legitimate chance.
1499 01:20:10 Spain has confidence now. United States has let them hang around,
1500 01:20:13 and the United States right now on their heels.
1501 01:20:16 There's Navarro. Inside, Gasol.
1502 01:20:18 United States just can't stop Spain the way Spain can't stop them.
1503 01:20:22 James to the basket, count it and a foul.
1504 01:20:25 So quick down the floor.
1505 01:20:27 Frenetic energy.
1506 01:20:30 Both teams diving for loose balls, a gold medal at stake.
1507 01:20:34 Spain within six. They have to like their chances.
1508 01:20:38 Our whole goal with Deron and CP and myself was,
1509 01:20:42 "Once we get in, we have to give this team a different feel and a different look."
1510 01:20:46 Oh, here comes Chris Paul.
1511 01:20:48 USA trying to push again.
1512 01:20:50 Wade, spinning. Tough shot, knocks it down.
1513 01:20:54 Wade, coming alive again, and it's a ten-point lead.
1514 01:20:58 Bosh to Williams.
1515 01:21:00 Deron Williams爌ulls up, knocks it down.
1516 01:21:03 It didn't matter who did it. This guy had 15, this guy had 12,
1517 01:21:06 this guy it don't matter. Let's win the game.
1518 01:21:08 Mike Krzyzewski, obviously concerned,
1519 01:21:11 coming up on the final minute of this third quarter,
1520 01:21:13 the gold medal game in Beijing.
1521 01:21:15 Alley-oop to Gasol! Boy, Navarro, what a game he's having!
1522 01:21:20 Anthony spots up for three.
1523 01:21:23 Puts it in. Big bucket from Carmelo Anthony.
1524 01:21:27 Third quarter winding down.
1525 01:21:29 Navarro. Williams does a good job keeping him in front.
1526 01:21:32 Gets by anyway, lefty layup. Oh, what a shot from Navarro
1527 01:21:36 as the third quarter comes to an end.
1528 01:21:41 My message to the guys was, "Just focus on the next quarter."
1529 01:21:45 "Don't worry about the score."
1530 01:21:48 "Stop thinking about that. Think about the play in front of you."
1531 01:21:52 You know, "I don't want you to think that Spain is going to roll over
1532 01:21:56 or go away, because they're not."
1533 01:21:58 Rudy Fernandez, a big spark for Spain, he comes in.
1534 01:22:01 He's playing with four fouls, one away from being disqualified.
1535 01:22:09 Oh, what a pass!
1536 01:22:11 And Gasol with the finish, and it's back to a five-point game.
1537 01:22:15 Carmelo Anthony tries a three. That won't go.
1538 01:22:17 USA now one of seven from the three in the second half.
1539 01:22:22 Fernandez puts up a three. It's good!
1540 01:22:25 Two-point game!
1541 01:22:28 Time-out, United States, as Spain storms back!
1542 01:22:32 Spain, all they wanted to do
1543 01:22:35 is put the United States in a position
1544 01:22:37 to feel the pressure.
1545 01:22:39 Well, you know what? The United States is feeling big-time pressure right now.
1546 01:22:42 It's a two-point game.
1547 01:22:45 In their careers, I'm not sure there would be a more tense moment
1548 01:22:50 than the Olympics, two points up,
1549 01:22:54 and it seemed like the world was caving in on us.
1550 01:22:59 At the time-out, I was getting ready to say some things,
1551 01:23:03 and the the players started talking.
1552 01:23:05 And Kobe and Dwyane and these guys were talking, said,
1553 01:23:09 "We got it. We're good. We're good."
1554 01:23:12 They were built and ready for that moment.
1555 01:23:17 Spain has nothing to lose.
1556 01:23:19 They're loose. They're free. And now the United States must regroup
1557 01:23:23 for this last 8 minutes and 13 seconds.
1558 01:23:26 It's one game.
1559 01:23:27 So that means there's plenty of players out here who are nervous,
1560 01:23:30 and I know that they're feeling the pressure much more than I am.
1561 01:23:34 I know I'm ready.
1562 01:23:36 Wade to Kobe Bryant.
1563 01:23:38 Bryant on the drive, tough shot, gets it to go.
1564 01:23:42 Kobe Bean, Mr. Fantastic coming to save the day, pretty much.
1565 01:23:48 Kobe Bryant, stripped by Rubio. Kobe Bryant gets it back.
1566 01:23:52 Inside pass to Howard for the slam.
1567 01:23:55 And the lead back up to nine with 6:45 to play.
1568 01:23:58 Who's been on every play? All three plays, Kobe Bryant.
1569 01:24:01 He hit the big shot, and he's had two assists in this stretch.
1570 01:24:04 In this 7-0 run.
1571 01:24:06 This just felt like a great battle.
1572 01:24:09 You could have played it all night long, and it would have been
1573 01:24:12 it'd have been to nine overtimes.
1574 01:24:14 Reyes, the rebound. Back to Fernandez, another wide-open one.
1575 01:24:17 And that one goes down!
1576 01:24:19 Big shot爁or Spain right there from Fernandez.
1577 01:24:23 You can't help how your body responds, and I was nervous.
1578 01:24:26 I was nervous.
1579 01:24:28 98-92. Another three. Kobe Bryant gets it to go!
1580 01:24:34 It seemed like the best basketball on the planet being played.
1581 01:24:38 Fernandez drives inside!
1582 01:24:40 Oh, what a slam and the foul!
1583 01:24:44 Rudy Fernandez!
1584 01:24:46 How about Rudy Fernandez with that finish?
1585 01:24:48 I don't wanna say I was nervous,
1586 01:24:51 but I was definitely like,
1587 01:24:53 "These fuckers won't go away."
1588 01:24:57 Five-point game, 104-99.
1589 01:24:59 Back to that zone defense.
1590 01:25:01 Who's gonna knock down a shot for the United States?
1591 01:25:04 For some reason, whenever those moments came at the end of games, close games,
1592 01:25:07 big shots needed to be made,
1593 01:25:09 it's like you just zone out.
1594 01:25:11 The crowd's not there.
1595 01:25:12 Once I drove through the zone and hit Kob,
1596 01:25:16 Kob called a jab.
1597 01:25:19 Puts up the three
1598 01:25:20 It's good!
1599 01:25:26 And he turned, and he did like this.
1600 01:25:32 Kob just said
1601 01:25:36 You can really enjoy the moment. You can look around in the arena
1602 01:25:39 and kind of soak it all in, right?
1603 01:25:43 And enjoy that.
1604 01:25:44 Is there anybody in the NBA who loves these moments
1605 01:25:47 more than Kobe Bryant?
1606 01:25:50 This could be a gigantic four-point play.
1607 01:25:52 Not only that, but Rudy Fernandez has just fouled out of the ball game.
1608 01:25:58 Again, United States with some breathing room,
1609 01:26:00 but they have not been able to put away Spain.
1610 01:26:03 108-99.
1611 01:26:05 Three minutes to go in the gold medal game.
1612 01:26:07 Navarro, the runner, again drops it in.
1613 01:26:10 At the end of the game, we gotta really use strategy.
1614 01:26:13 Like, we gotta really utilize what we have out here.
1615 01:26:17 And you just see you see the level of play just rise, man.
1616 01:26:21 Navarro again, this time out to Jimnez.
1617 01:26:24 Open three-pointer, puts it in.
1618 01:26:27 Back to a four-point game.
1619 01:26:30 Spain keeps climbing back.
1620 01:26:33 Your confidence comes from being in that moment.
1621 01:26:35 Knowing that you're not gonna be perfect in these moments,
1622 01:26:38 but long as you're not afraid of it, you'll be aight.
1623 01:26:42 Dwyane Wade wants to drive. Paul does, as does LeBron James.
1624 01:26:45 James inside, out to Wade. His three-pointer
1625 01:26:49 Knocks it down!
1626 01:26:50 Another clutch three. And it's 111-104.
1627 01:26:54 And I remember hitting it and
1628 01:26:57 like, you know, just feeling so incredible inside.
1629 01:27:02 The United States up by six with 1:20 remaining.
1630 01:27:07 Spain staying in that zone.
1631 01:27:09 Paul to Bryant. Bryant looking for an opening,
1632 01:27:12 gets in the runner. Rolls in!
1633 01:27:14 Kobe Bryant knocks it down. It's an eight-point game.
1634 01:27:19 This is game. Like, we just
1635 01:27:21 We just won a gold medal.
1636 01:27:23 And chants of "USA" erupt here
1637 01:27:26 at the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium in Wukesong.
1638 01:27:30 It's one of the greatest games probably ever played.
1639 01:27:33 A celebration underway.
1640 01:27:36 And the United States men, gold medalists once again!
1641 01:27:41 After such disappointments in 2002, 2004, and 2006.
1642 01:28:05 And the players coming over to embrace the former Olympian,
1643 01:28:10 our man, Doug Collins, in an emotional moment.
1644 01:28:13 Not only for that, but of course, your son, Chris, part of the staff.
1645 01:28:18 A special day for the Collins family.
1646 01:28:20 A special day for USA Basketball.
1647 01:28:25 I never expected it, but they all came over to the scorer's table and
1648 01:28:30 They had some flowers or whatever that they get.
1649 01:28:32 And they asked me to come out,
1650 01:28:34 and they put their gold medal around my neck,
1651 01:28:37 and everybody, big smiles, and took a picture and
1652 01:28:41 The other day, I I took that picture out
1653 01:28:45 because Kobe was next to me.
1654 01:29:05 Where the bottles at? Where the bottles? Where they at?
1655 01:29:10 Where they at?
1656 01:29:11 Gold medal! USA, baby!
1657 01:29:14 Yessir! Yessir!
1658 01:29:16 Good job, CP.
1659 01:29:17 Yessir!
1660 01:29:20 Big man! Big man!
1661 01:29:22 -Who is it? Who is it? - No!
1662 01:29:24 -Yes, I told you! -He hit the Kobe!
1663 01:29:28 Our reputation as Americans are singular superstars who go their own way.
1664 01:29:35 We're in it just for the show. We're in it for the glitz.
1665 01:29:38 We're not in it for the teamwork.
1666 01:29:39 - Get that -[Kobe laughs]
1667 01:29:41 Suddenly, the Redeem Team gets here,
1668 01:29:43 and they have more right than anybody else to be standoffish and selfish.
1669 01:29:47 And they're the biggest, greatest team arguably in the history of the Olympics.
1670 01:29:53 The United States of America!
1671 01:30:08 I'm sitting on that podium, and I'm thinking about my journey.
1672 01:30:13 I didn't know how much it would mean to me to win a gold medal.
1673 01:30:17 But at that moment, just every emotion that I've ever had,
1674 01:30:20 every moment of doubt, injury, it didn't matter at that moment.
1675 01:30:26 All of those things was for me to be right where I am at this moment.
1676 01:30:37 I felt joy. I felt a relief.
1677 01:30:41 Like, "Aight, we did it." You know what I'm saying?
1678 01:30:45 Like, we came together for a cause.
1679 01:30:48 My jersey didn't have Denver Nuggets on there.
1680 01:30:50 LeBron didn't have Cleveland.
1681 01:30:52 Kobe didn't have Lakers. Like, we had USA.
1682 01:30:57 Because of everything that we had went through,
1683 01:30:59 in the years that we had, you know, losing,
1684 01:31:02 to be standing up on that podium,
1685 01:31:05 having the gold wrapped around our neck
1686 01:31:07 was one of the most rewarding moments of my career.
1687 01:31:12 I think it just reset the standard, too,
1688 01:31:14 of what it means to play basketball in America.
1689 01:31:18 There's no better feeling than winning the gold medal.
1690 01:31:24 It's your country. It's the world.
1691 01:31:27 It's the Olympics.
1692 01:31:29 There's no greater moment.
1693 01:32:35 Ah, yessir. Day one of travel, baby.
1694 01:32:37 Here we go. Off to China, baby. Go get that gold medal, baby.
1695 01:32:43 Thirteen hours?
1696 01:32:45 Too long to be on a plane.
1697 01:32:47 But we're going for the Olympics, so that's why it's all good.
1698 01:32:56 C'mon, Tayshaun!
1699 01:33:04 You guys got your pajamas off?
1700 01:33:07 Kobe, did you take your pajamas off?
1701 01:33:12 Look at me, dawg. I never looked this strong in my life.
1702 01:33:15 Man, he's beautiful. He's got me looking like Iron Man.
1703 01:33:20 You know what I'm saying?
1704 01:33:23 What number do you normally wear?
1705 01:33:25 What number you wear two years ago?
1706 01:33:27 -Ten. -Here y'all go.
1707 01:33:32 [all chattering indistinctly]
1708 01:33:35 - - Let's go. Philly. Come on.
1709 01:33:41 All that means is, "Get the hell out of the way."
1710 01:33:48 I thought it was a play.
1711 01:33:50 You've been tricking me for five years.
1712 01:33:52 I figured it out now, Kob. You better change your signal.
1713 01:33:55 I figured it out. Uh-huh.
1714 01:33:59 I think today it it really sunk in a lot. And I just I feel real patriotic today.
1715 01:34:04 Just being right here in front of the Statue of Liberty.
1716 01:34:08 ["Harder Than You Think" continues]
1717 01:34:12 Hey, this is the road to gold, baby,
1718 01:34:14 and I'm looking forward to getting that gold medal.
1719 01:34:16 And I'll see y'all next episode.
1720 01:34:18 This is King James. D Wade is right behind. He about to--
1721 01:34:21 Bam!
1722 01:34:22 -Hey. -We signing off.
