The U.S. Olympic men's basketball team didn't just go for the gold in Beijing—they also wanted to change the way the world perceived men in basketball. Joining Oprah to celebrate both victories are Team USA™ members Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Jason Kidd, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh and Michael Redd.
They didn't earn the nickname "Redeem Team" for nothing. "We really care about how our game is perceived and how we're perceived as athletes," Kobe says. "One of our main focuses is to go over there and win the gold but also show how we can play the brand of basketball that we feel can bring back the gold medal."
Together, the team realized all their Olympic dreams. "I think everybody got sick and tired of coming home with bronze medals and everybody talking about, you know, USA basketball cannot get back on top," Kobe says. "I think everybody here took it as a personal challenge to make that a top priority."
Published 09/08/2008
