Richard Jefferson explains what went wrong with 2004 Olympics
The Redeem Team is regarded as one of the best Olympic basketball teams ever assembled. With an impressive roster of players, it's easy to see why the team won gold in Beijing in 2008.
The team included LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Michael Redd, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and many others.
Netflix's "The Redeem Team" documentary focused on Team USA rebuilding after finishing with a bronze medal in Athens in 2004. The Redeem Team was expected to get U.S. basketball back on the highest stage by winning the gold medal.
Former small forward Richard Jefferson talked about the Netflix show:
"I haven't watched 'Redeem.' There's some things that, like, even people are telling me, and it's, like, there is a whole other story. And I was like, if I watch it and I start saying, like, 'Well, wait a second guys. Let's talk about how we got to the redeem spot a little bit more. Do you remember the Tournament of the Americas?"
"It was T-Mac (Tracy McGrady). It was Vince (Carter). It was Jason Kidd. It was (Mike) Bibby. Like, Karl Malone was on that team. That team won the Tournament of the Americas to go to the Olympics. Then, nine guys leave that team and say they're not coming. And then they bring in all of the young guys like, you know, me and Bron (LeBron James), D-Wade (Dwyane Wade), Carmelo (Anthony). All of us.
He added:
"All of us show up a couple of weeks before the Olympics and try and figure it out. Man, that was a f***** recipe for disaster. No national team would ever do that again, what they did in '04."
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant talk about Redeem Team
LeBron James of the LA Lakers said that the Redeem Team was the best Olympic team ever for one simple reason. According to James, the team had some of the best depth that will ever be seen on a basketball court:
"Seriously, if you got D-Wade coming off of your bench, you got the greatest international team ever."
It's always tough to say that any Olympic team was better than 1992's Dream Team. But with the roster that the 2008 Olympic team put together, it's nearly unbeatable.
Any team that has LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant is typically going to be the best ever seen.
Bryant talked about how he got prepared for some of the games. He said that he was going to run through Lakers teammate Pao Gasol:
"I'm gonna set the tone to start the game. ... I'm running through Pau's f***ing chest."
They ended up winning the gold medal, and Bryant, along with James, went down as two of the biggest players in Team USA history.
Maybe one day there will be a better team than the one in 2008, but it doesn't seem likely that's ever going to be the case.