At the 2004 Olympics in Greece, the basketball world was stunned when the U.S. Men’s team failed to win the gold medal. It was the first loss that the U.S. Men’s basketball suffered in the Olympics since NBA players were first allowed to participate in the Olympics in 1992.
After the shocking defeat, the USA Basketball committee immediately revised its program to recruit and develop a national team. Their vision was to implement a long-term project where NBA players would commit to playing for the team in advance instead of accepting invitations weeks before the start of the Olympics. In 2008, The Redeem Team was born.
Released on Netflix on October 7, The Redeem Team tells the story of the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team’s quest for gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and how they re-established America as the epicenter of basketball. The documentary offers a riveting portrayal of the dynamics of team building and features insightful interviews with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, “Coach K” Krzyzewski and the late Kobe Bryant.
EBONY caught up with Wade, who executive produced the doc, and Jemele Hill, an acclaimed sports journalist and host of the popular podcast Jemele Hill Is Unbothered, before a special screening of the film at CultureCon NYC, and discussed the lasting legacy of the Redeem Team on their psyche.
While the U.S. men’s basketball was at a crossroads during the 2008 Summer Olympics, many members of the team were also at pivotal stages in their NBA careers. Wade recalled his struggles of dealing with several injuries and not making the playoffs the season leading up to the Olympics. He said that being a part of the Redeem Team helped to revitalize the second phase of his career.
“We all came to the team with our own individual baggage. Even while we were at the Olympics we all had to…