In Bryant’s memory, the documentary on the history of the American national basketball team capable of redeeming the failed Olympic bronze medal in Athens 2004 and then winning gold: unpublished interviews, behind-the-scenes images and much more
“The Redeem Team”, a documentary produced by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade among others and directed by Jon Weinbach, was recently released on Netflix and is the title of the moment among basketball lovers. The story of the American national basketball team able to redeem the failed Olympic bronze medal in Athens 2004 and win the gold medal in Beijing 2008, told by those who lived it and made it possible, with unpublished interviews, behind-the-scenes images and many, many extraordinary plays. A documentary that exudes competitiveness, redemption and, above all, greatness. Not too much rhetoric, just what history inevitably pours out, and many meanings that go beyond the basketball played. In the indelible memory of Kobe Bryant.
Athens
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Every great American rebirth story always begins at the lowest point. Athens 2004 Olympics: the US basketball team coached by coach Larry Brown assembles the team that will have to win almost at the last moment, because in America, especially in basketball, that remains the only and essential goal, Olympic gold. Lots of refusals by important players, with a sense of belonging that caresses unimaginable abysses, as opposed to the need to create a group that can dominate the rest of the world. There are already cult veterans, Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan the cornerstones, to which are added some extraordinarily talented but almost inexperienced youngsters, such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, all returning from their luminescent rookie season. The individualities are there but not the team. Coach Brown welcomes the newcomers as second picks, preferring the reliability of the veterans, and immediately splits the locker room in two. He forces his hand to put his ego before that of the players and nips in the bud the possibility of creating an identity that can stem the growing and increasingly threatening basketball movement in the Fiba area. The United States, which used to make it look like a victory with little margin over the opponent as news, are ridiculed by Puerto Rico in the opening round and end up taking a lesson from the Argentina of Manu Ginobili, then winner of the gold in the final against Italy, in the semifinals. It is Team USA’s first dramatic defeat at the Olympic Games since the roster was made up of professional players. But it’s not just Brown, the spoiled NBA stars and management’s fault. It is the whole program that must be rethought and rebuilt from the beginning.
Coach K
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The country feels betrayed by those it believed supermen, American basketball sees its domination downsize. It is revolution. Inside, deus ex machina Jerry Colangelo, who has carte blanche for programming, and legendary Duke University Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski, Coach K, on the bench. The goal is to regain the respect of the nation, of the world of basketball and, of course, to take back the gold at the next Beijing Olympics. These are the first foundations of what will be the Redeem Team, the team of redemption. Coach K first overcomes the skepticism of NBA players, proving that he is not “just” a college coach but a coach, period, and teaches them to respect their opponents. Learn their game, don’t de-legitimize it. Net of the sometimes easy narrative proposed by the documentary, which exalts the sporting enterprise of Team Usa and eternalizes the legacy of its protagonists, this is probably one of the most interesting keys of this Netflix product. How Coach K managed to ignite the competitive fire of his stars and empower them without necessarily wanting to change their personalities. He managed, unlike his predecessor, to preserve the ego of his players at the center of the project and in doing so favored the creation of a group. Because in a 5 vs 5 game you don’t win alone, even if your name is Team Usa. In fact, American basketball had been consciously watching the rest of the basketball world grow and evolve for years, forgetting to do the same. A presumption intoxicated by business and personal interests that had taken basketball out of focus. The process was long and it went through another burning defeat, the one at the 2006 World Cup in the semifinals against Greece. At that moment, Colangelo understood that only the best were needed to win. And this is where the real protagonist of the story, Kobe Bryant, comes into play.
Kobe
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“Bring back the gold”. The golden presence of Kobe Bryant can be felt already from the first seconds of the documentary. In a certain sense anticipated by our hearts, by the need we have to see him again, to let ourselves be inspired by him again. Because Kobe misses immensely, every day. Bryant joined Team USA in 2007 because, in his words, he is tired of seeing them lose. He is the alpha dog the team needs to shake off the fear of failure. Solitary, not very talkative and in healthy competition with everyone, including himself. Kobe overwhelms Team USA with its unmatched work ethic, sets high standards and exudes winning leadership from day zero. Here, this is not an easy narrative but the naked truth. Let’s leave the Mamba Mentality and the Kobe icon aside for a moment. Bryant managed to drag the whole group towards a shared vision of basketball, towards an essential and vital goal: to bring gold back home at any cost. And how? He made sure that all of his comrades worked on themselves like never before. A team man, an example to emulate. Yes, the very one who had always been branded as selfish and even destructive. But Kobe knew how to win and showed it to his teammates, on and off the pitch. Because without him, this documentary on the Redeem Team would never have been shot.
Redemption
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We all know the happy ending of the story. The United States won the gold medal in Beijing, then repeated also in London 2012, triumphing in an epic final against Pau Gasol’s Spain. It is the completion of a path of self-determination that Americans needed to experience in order not to feel second to none. LeBron James who no longer seeks an alibi, Dwyane Wade who denies his detractors, Coach K and Colangelo who restore balance with basketball Fiba and Kobe Bryant, who is no longer there but for an hour and a half it is as if not had ever left us, which adds another iconic moment to his formidable career. “The Redeem Team” is above all a story of redemption and sporting redemption. Not revenge, because Team Usa deserved the failure of Athens. They had to accept it and try it to leave. The message that emerges at the end is exactly this and, as often happens with basketball, we can relate to each other by exposing our experiences and our feelings.
October 12, 2022 (change October 12, 2022 | 22:05)
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