SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — During the 2025 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony on Sept. 6, LeBron James praised the late Kobe Bryant as the decisive factor behind the 2008 U.S. men’s Olympic basketball squad, known as the “Redeem Team.”
The 2008 team was formally inducted as part of the Hall’s Class of 2025 at Symphony Hall, where James joined former teammates in celebrating the honor. Speaking from the stage, the four-time NBA champion called Bryant “the missing link” who restored Team USA’s dominance after the program’s bronze-medal finish at the 2004 Athens Games.
“He brought a sense of seriousness to the team,” James said. “Once he joined and was committed, we couldn’t do anything half-assed. Kobe wasn’t going for that.”
James, 23 at the time of the Beijing Olympics, recalled how Bryant’s presence pushed younger stars such as Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony to match his intensity. Bryant, then at the height of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, accepted the task of defending the best perimeter player on every opponent and helped lead the United States to the gold medal.
“We wanted to show him we could get to that level as well,” James added. “By the end of that trip, when we were hoisting that gold medal, we definitely made him proud.”
Bryant, a five-time NBA champion who died in 2020, was not on stage for the induction, but his influence was a recurring theme throughout the ceremony. Team members and officials credited the guard’s commitment for reshaping the national team’s culture and expectations.
Source: Lakers Nation
