Lakers News: Netflix's "Redeem Team" Documentary A Fitting Tribute
Netflix's brand-new documentary "The Redeem Team," directed by Jon Weinbach, provides fans with a fascinating, in-depth behind-the-scenes look at how U.S.A. men's basketball bounced back from its nadir this century, a 2004 bronze medal finish in the Olympics, to return to the pinnacle of the game on the world stage. Several key Los Angeles Lakers are profiled, but the standouts in the documentary (and in the games) are clearly 18-time All-Stars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
Due to injury issues and terrorism concerns ahead of the 2004 games in Athens, the doc reveals that nine key NBA pros opted out of the competition. Thus, the next generation of anticipated superstars was recruited: rookie center Emeka Okafor out of the University of Connecticut, three 2003 draftees who had just completed their rookie seasons in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, plus second-year power forwards Ama're Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer, the latter of whom was about to ditch his Cleveland Cavaliers teammate James to join the Utah Jazz in free agency. None of these players had yet made an All-Star team at the time, but all were clearly special. James, Wade and Anthony have all since become First Ballot Hall of Fame players. Stoudemire, a six-time All-Star with the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks who had his career cut short by knee injuries, may join them in Springfield one day.
The documentary indicates that the 2004 Olympics were essentially split into two factions: vets and youth. The most established veterans included Philadelphia 76ers All-Star point guard Allen Iverson, New York Knicks All-Star point guard Stephon Marbury, San Antonio Spurs All-Star power forward/center Tim Duncan, Miami Heat power forward Lamar Odom (an eventual two-time champ with your Los Angeles Lakers), and Phoenix Suns All-Star forward Shawn Marion.
James, Wade, Anthony, and Boozer led the younger crew, according to the documentary. It is unclear where hierarchically a player like New Jersey Nets small forward Richard Jefferson (an eventual championship teammate for LeBron in Cleveland) fit, as he was drafted in 2001 and thus could have gone either way.
Among these 2004 Olympians, only James, Wade, Anthony and Boozer actually sat for "The Redeem Team" documentary, which was produced by James and Wade.
Larry Brown, hot off winning his first (and thus far only) NBA title with the Detroit Pistons, who beat you-know-who 4-1, served as the 2004 club's coach.
In the first sign of trouble, Team Puerto Rico (which, not for nothing, is actually a U.S. territory, but whatever), led by an eventual Miami Heat teammate of LeBron James's, point guard Carlos Arroyo, defeated Team U.S.A. 92-73 during a 2004 preliminary round in Athens.
"Not only did America [think] we were going to win, we weren't even paying attention, we thought were going to win so much," says The Los Angeles Times reporter Bill Plaschke, who provides some entertaining quotes in the documentary. "Most of the reporters were at other venues. We were covering skeet shooting track and field and swimming."
"The younger guys, we were pissed at Larry Brown, because he didn't play us," says D-Wade now. "We just thought, 'Man, we should be playing, because we could help this team win.' But Larry Brown didn't think that we could as much as the veteran guys." That would turn out to be a huge mistake.
"We didn't [treat] Puerto Rico with the respect they deserved, that's for sure," James reflects. "And they kicked our ass," he grins.
The documentary flashes forward to the big game, the moment where Team U.S.A. lost its shot at a gold medal. The star-studded bunch played against Manu Ginobili (a future Hall of Famer and Duncan's teammate with the Spurs), Luis Scola, Andres Nocioni and the rest of Tam Argentina in the 2004 Olympics' semifinal round. "You could tell that they had this chemistry," Wade notes.
"They [were] more cohesive," Anthony observes. "They [were] running plays. They [were] running sets."
Team U.S.A. would eventually fall to Argentina, 89-81, in a stunning upset. The club would beat Lithuania, 104-96, for the bronze medal in its final game. Back home, the country was stunned. Ever since the Olympics started allowing pros in the game for the 1992 "Dream Team," constant American dominance had been expected.
"There was no culture with Team U.S.A.," Anthony, most recently a 2021-22 Laker, says of that club.
James reveals in contemporary interview footage that, at the time, he was not interested in returning to the national team following that 2004 bronze medal ordeal.
Longtime basketball executive, coach, and multi-sport team owner Jerry Colangelo took over in 2005. In a notable shift, he decided to ditch the committee approach when it came to adding coaches and players.
Legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski (who wrapped up his career this year, having led the Blue Devils to five NCAA titles) was hired. "When they announced that he was coming on, our first thought was, 'How is he going to handle all the players on this team as a college coach?" Anthony remarks now.
"The thing that changed right away was that you weren't gonna be [only] the Olympic coach, you were gonna be the national coach. That was a step of trying to have one coach have a four-year period where they were running the program."
The team also made sure to impress on any hopeful Olympians that it needed players to commit to the national team for three summers. It seems like things are a bit more lenient now.
In a big speed bump, Team U.S.A. lost 101-95 to Team Greece in a semifinal match at the FIBA World Championships match, which transpired in Japan over the summer of 2006. "They beat us with high pick-and-roll," Wade says.
"It might look on the TV like, 'Why don't they just stop 'em?' When you're playing in real time, it's hard to figure out what the hell is going on," 2003 draftee Chris Bosh, by this point also with Team U.S.A., recalls. They once again only won bronze.
Following that defeat, Coach K recruited Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant ahead of the 2007 Olympic qualifiers, hoping to add an older player with more championship pedigree. Bryant would go on to enjoy one of his best-ever seasons in the league with L.A. in 2007-08, claiming his lone MVP title and leading the club back to the NBA Finals.
So why did Bryant, who certainly didn't need to join the national team at this point in his career, ultimately suit up for Team U.S.A.? Because he was tired of watching the team lose, he joked.
The 2008 Olympic "Redeem Team" was completely loaded with future Hall of Fame talent. James, Wade, and Anthony were joined by Bryant, Bosh, eventual Lakers head coach Jason Kidd, eventual Laker Dwight Howard, and Chris Paul. The team was rounded out by multi-time All-Stars like Boozer, Deron Williams, and Michael Redd, plus Detroit Pistons champ Tayshaun Prince, who somehow never made an All-Star team.
Team U.S.A. easily qualified for the 2008 games in Beijing.
Coach K emerges as quite a character in the doc. A very patriotic West Point alum, he emphasized the fact that the team was representing their entire country and what that stood for at the time. Krzyzewski brought in military speakers with affecting anecdotes about their own hardships and camaraderie, and he also generally addressed his players (at least, as far as we can see in behind-the-scenes team meeting/scrimmaging footage provided here) with a militaristic bent.
A lot of the players interviewed are somewhat in awe of Bryant's dedication at the time, when he was very much at the peak of his powers. Though most of the team initially partied in Las Vegas during the 2007 qualifiers, Bryant maintained a rigorous workout regime. Upon seeing this level of commitment, the rest of the group eventually followed suit.
The documentary makes a point to touch on the nature of Bryant's standing in the NBA at the time, when he was probably the league's best player. It also notes that a certain current Laker was nipping at its heels, and has fun discussing the national conversation surrounding the two.
"I think at that time, you could say that Kobe, LeBron and myself were the three best players in the NBA," then-Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade notes. During the 2007-08 NBA season, Wade suffered a major shoulder injury, which threw his 2008 Olympics future in doubt. "So I had [come] off of a serious injury and it took me a while to build myself back to [get] back to that place when a lot of people didn't think that I would. No one thought I would even be on the [2008] Olympic team because I didn't recover the way I needed to. I was having knee problems as well so I got surgery on both [the knee and shoulder]."
"Dwyane, for me, he was critical," Krzyzewski said of the Heat All-Star. "Coach K definitely wanted me to be on the team, but Jerry Colangelo did have some questions," Wade acknowledges. "They had to come up to Chicago [his home during the NBA offseason], watch me train, watch me work out, talk to my trainer."
During a fun Vegas training moment in July, Krzyzewski gathered the team to show them what he envisioned to be the club's theme song: Marvin Gaye's interpretation of the national anthem.
When the group faced off in a rematch against Team Greece, who had ousted them in the 2006 FIBA semifinals, it wanted to annihilate the competition. Team U.S.A. would go on to win 92-69.
Another element that differed this time around was Team U.S.A.'s interest in supporting its countrymen.
"We [wanted] to get out," Wade reveals. "That was just... another check mark of, 'Hey, we need to change the culture of... the Olympics and how we're perceived. The whole team would go together, or individuals would go together, just to be around the other athletes."
During another preliminary match, Bryant faced off against his recently-acquired Lakers compatriot, Pau Gasol, who led the second-best basketball club in those 2008 games, Team Spain. Bryant made a point to not give up an inch in the contest.
Spurs All-Star/Team Argentina leader Manu Ginobili, who was being touted by some media members at the time as the game's best shooting guard (i.e. over Bryant and Wade), was used by Coach K as a touchstone for the team. Krzyzewski cleverly made a point to showcase highlight reels and celebratory newspaper clippings covering the 6'6" lefty. "It was the game I think Kobe was the most ready for," Coach K notes now.
Team U.S.A. was ready for him, and looked to be well on its way to vanquishing Argentina during the 2008 semifinals... until Ginobili got hurt with a foot injury. Surprisingly, in a bit of a "Ewing Effect," a Ginobili-less Team Argentina went on a 27-12 scoring run. Team U.S.A. ultimately righted the ship and moved on to the gold medal game, against the Gasol brothers (Marc, a future three-time All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year, 2019 NBA champ, and Laker, was the second half of a formidable starting front line with his big brother) and Team Spain.
During the epic title game, team leaders Bryant and James were both whistled for two fouls early in the game. Coming off the bench in the second period a bit earlier than usual, Wade put on a clinic, taking over for the group and keeping Team U.S.A. in the driver's seat most of the night. The Americans would eventually win, 118-107, paced by Wade's 27 points (on 75% shooting from the floor).
The documentary makes for an exhilarating watch, and a great tune-up for fans as we anxiously await the kick-off of what is sure to be another highly competitive NBA season. Given that it stars two all-time Lakers (plus several other Lakers coaches and players), it's a must for any L.A. fan.
