Bryant on Team USA: ‘I Need to Earn It’

The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics were groundbreaking for both Kobe Bryant and the USA Basketball Men’s National Team.

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Bryant exercised his demons that summer from a NBA Finals loss in which the Los Angeles Lakers lost 4-2 to the rival Boston Celtics including a 131-92 blowout in Game 6.

The “Black Mamba” brought his intense brand of basketball to the Olympics for the first time in his career and many of the players on that 2008 Olympic roster look back at the moment as a turning point in their own NBA careers.

Bryant played alongside superstars such as Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade who took a large portion of the team’s offense. Bryant accepted less of the scoring burden which enabled him to play with a controlled ferocity in crucial moments.

His heroics in the 2008 gold medal game against Spain are legendary. Bryant forced his imprint on the game when the “Redeem Team” needed it most and brought the gold home for the first time in eight years. The victory cemented the US as the dominant powerhouse of the world once again.

Spain had cut the lead to five with a little over three minutes left in regulation. Bryant responded with perhaps the biggest shot of the game. His three-pointer plus the foul put the good guys back up nine with 3:10 remaining.

The foul also knocked Rudy Fernandez, the Spain’s leading scorer, out of the game. Fernandez had accounted for 22 points up until that point.

With Team USA up six, Bryant put the finishing touches on the game with a runner in the lane at the 1:11 mark. He was also called upon to hit a technical free throw late to officially end the game. Bryant finished with 20 points and six assists.

The Americans ended any doubt of who the superior country is and ended their drought that included losses at the FIBA World Championships in 2002 and 2006.

The 2012 Olympic team was compared to the original 1992 “Dream Team” and saw Bryant’s role reduced even more. He essentially became the veteran leader for the players entering their prime like James, Anthony and Chris Bosh, none of whom were older than 28 years old. Bryant did finish with 17 points in the gold medal game.

In fact, Bryant was the oldest player on the team and a full 14 years older than the youngest player on the roster, Anthony Davis. Bryant openly advertised his 2012 Olympic run as his last.

What’s changed?

It’s fairly clear the Lakers will not be contenders this season especially if ESPN’s rankings are to be believed. That said, Bryant told USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo he one more Olympic run in him.

Per ESPN:

"[Bryant] also mentioned to me in a private conversation that if he had his druthers, he would love to ride off into the sunset playing one more time and winning the gold medal. And that would be the end. But he was very quick to say, ‘But, I don’t want a spot. I need to earn the spot. I need to be capable of playing at that level to be considered.’ And I said, ‘You got that. That’s always there for you, Kobe."

It seems the door is open for a story book ending after all for Bryant. It’s unlikely he obtains a sixth championship ring he desperately desires to tie Michael Jordan this season.

What if Bryant rode off into the sunset with a different piece of jewelry, but can Bryant even make the team at 37?

In order to make the team, “Vino” would have to outplay what has become a deep and talented crop of NBA guards. Of the 32 players invited to the US National Team minicamp this summer, six of them play Bryant’s position and include James Harden, Bradley Beal, Jimmy Butler, Gordon Hayward, Paul George, and Klay Thompson.

That doesn’t account for players who can play either position on the wing like Kawhi Leonard and DeMar Derozan. It also doesn’t include versatile forwards like Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Rudy Gay and Wade, perhaps Bryant’s biggest threat.

November 16, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) shoots against the defense of Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

It looks like a long shot for Bryant to outplay a dozen or more players and take one of the few wing positions on the roster at 37 and over 55,000 minutes played in the NBA.

Still, Colangelo loves having veteran leadership on his National Teams. The 2006 FIBA roster consisted of players such as Brad Miller, Elton Brand, and Antawn Jamison who were all over 30. The “Redeem Team” also featured Jason Kidd, 35.

If Bryant were to make the team, it would be in a severely reduced capacity and coming off the bench. He would likely be filling the same role Kidd had in 2008 as a player who brings savvy and calm to a young team.

This hypothetical is predicated off of Bryant making it through the upcoming NBA season which is no guarantee. Bryant has had three season-ending injuries over the last three seasons which does not bode well for his chances to finish the 2015-16 season unscathed.

However, should Bryant make it through the year and prove to Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski that he still has something left in the tank, the “Black Mamba” might just get his Hollywood send off.

Next: Jordan Clarkson Contemplates FIBA Asia Tournament

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