The Team USA that went into the 2008 Olympics is considered one of the greatest national basketball teams of all time, arguably rivaling the 1992 Dream Team.
The ‘08 “Redeem Team” featured Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant, among several others, and was led by Coach Mike Krzyzewski. In an excerpt from sportswriter Ian O’Connor’s new book Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski, O’Connor reported that during the 2008 Summer Olympics, LeBron and Coach K had a tense moment where Bron told him to do something about Kobe’s selfish shot selection.
“Everyone knew it,” said one Team USA staffer, according to O’Connor. “They know when another player is being selfish. Players can police themselves, but in this instance, as LeBron was coming out of the game, he said to Mike, ‘Yo, Coach, you’d better fix that motherf—–,’ as he walks by. He was talking about Kobe.”
The next morning, Krzyzewski told Kobe that he needed to have a talk with him. After telling Kobe that he was taking “bullshit shots” and that he needed to facilitate “more movement,” the Lakers star said he’d change.
“Bryant just looked right at him and said, ‘I got it, Coach. I got it. Don’t worry about it. Sorry about that,’” a team source said, per O’Connor. Coach K went on to reveal that LeBron and Kobe didn’t have any bad blood after this exchange, and the 2008 Olympic team went on to win gold in Beijing.
Other parts of the book detail how the legendary college coach learned how to rally a team of NBA stars, especially James who never had a college coaching experience. Coach K is now coaching his last season at Duke this year as he announced his plan to retire last year.
Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski is available to purchase here.