Some NBA fans might have heard stories about the legendary Team USA 2008 basketball team. However, since it has been around 15 years since we saw the team in action, people might not be able to remember the accomplishments of the Redeem Team as they were nicknamed in the 2008 Olympics.
While there is no denying that the United States or the NBA to be more specific, can be considered the best basketball league in the world, that does not mean Team USA was always successful in the Olympics. In fact, the very term Redeem Team originates from the fact that the team had lost in the past.
Nonetheless, we should take a closer look and try to find out how good the 2008 Team USA Olympics basketball squad was. Especially since the 2024 Olympics are less than a year away.
Who was on the Team USA 2008 roster?
Veteran NBA fans will remember what happened during the 2004 Olympics. Although the United States was considered the prohibited favorite to win the Olympics, they ended up finishing in third place and coming back home with a bronze medal. It was quite disappointing for fans to see their team lose at the hands of countries such as Puerto Rico, Lithuania, and Argentina.
Allen Iverson was the captain of the team at the time and the entire nation was very disappointed that their star-studded roster was unable to get the job done. Hence, when the 2008 Olympics rolled around. the Redeem team was formed with the hopes of bringing the gold medal back to the United States.
There is no denying that the 2008 team got the job done. Led by Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, the Redeem team didn’t lose a single match and ended up winning all 5 of their games. After defeating Spain, the 2008 team was awarded gold medals. Here is a list of members from the 2008 Team USA basketball roster.
2008 Team USA basketball roster
- Kobe Bryant (Captain)
- LeBron James
- Carlos Boozer
- Jason Kidd
- Deron Williams
- Michael Redd
- Dwyane Wade
- Chris Paul
- Dwight Howrd
- Chris Bosh
- Tayshawn Prince
- Carmelo Anthony
As we can tell from the list alone, this star-studded roster was unstoppable during the 2008 Olympics. Perhaps this is no surprise considering that they were led by a relentless Kobe Bryant. Questions regarding how good this team was are quite difficult to answer. After all, they were good enough for Netflix to film a show on them.
One could argue that they were similar to a top-tier NBA All-Star game team. However, one major difference would be the fact that the Olympics are no exhibition games. All of these NBA legends played their hardest to ensure that Team USA returned with a gold medal.