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USA’s Kobe Bryant (L) looks at USA’s LeBron James during the men’s semi-final basketball match Argentina against The US of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 22, 2008 at the Olympic basketball Arena in Beijing. (Photo credit : FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images)
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USA’s Kobe Bryant (L) looks at USA’s LeBron James during the men’s semi-final basketball match Argentina against The US of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 22, 2008 at the Olympic basketball Arena in Beijing. (Photo credit : FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images)
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were Olympic teammates back in 2008. The duo were the main architects for Team USA’s success in the Olympics. They ended the tournament as brothers, but they did not have a smooth relationship at the start.
Back in 2008, Kobe Bryant was coming off his Finals loss to the Celtics. The Lakers lost in 6 games and this was one of the most difficult moments of Kobe’s career. So when Kobe accepted the invitation to play in the tournament, everyone was surprised. But Kobe might not have been the leader of the team as a young star from Cleveland was on the rise.
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BEIJING, CHINA AUGUST 14TH, 2008USA’s Kobe Bryant lets out a scream after dunking the ball against Greece during a preliminary round game at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (Photo by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
LeBron James was coming off his first Finals run in 2007 and it was clearly established who the best player in the league was. Everyone in the team knew it and there were rumors that the two stars couldn’t get along.
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LeBron James voiced concerns about the shot selection of Kobe Bryant
In a game against Australia, Kobe Bryant didn’t look like he was motivated enough. Team USA was winning, but Kobe’s errant shot selection made them vulnerable. His teammates voiced concerns to Coach K. One of them was LeBron James. James reportedly said, ‘Yo, Coach, you’d better fix that motherf—–,’ referring to Kobe Bryant.
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The USA’s LeBron James during the Men’s Basketball Final between USA and Spain at the North Greenwich Arena during the London 2012 Olympic games. London, UK. 12th August 2012. (Photo: Steve Christo) (Photo by Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty Images)
Then Coach K asked Bryant for a private meeting. He showed Kobe game footage and showed him his mistakes. Coach K told Kobe that shots weren’t good enough. He adds, “There has to be more movement.”
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Kobe understood the assignment and told Coach K, “I got it, Coach. I got it. Don’t worry about it. Sorry about that.” The 2008 team was about accountability and these two icons held each other to high standards. They weren’t afraid to call out the other if they felt like they weren’t meeting the goal. The Duo put on a show as the USA team went undefeated through the tournament and won the Gold Medal.
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Kobe and LeBron’s relationship may not have had the smoothest start, but they did end up becoming brothers. The Duo would go on to win another medal in 2012, and they held huge respect towards each other. LeBron would end up joining the Lakers and he would go on to win a championship with Kobe’s team.
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