- Title: The Redeem Team
- IMDb: link
After a disappointing showing in the 2004 Olympics, director Jon Weinbach‘s documentary takes a look at changes to Team USA and the rededication of NBA players to bringing home the gold medal. The film touches on several subjects including Mike Krzyzewski taking over as head coach, the struggles for the team at the 2006 World Championship, the rise of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade as superstars, and how the addition of Kobe Bryant was the final piece of the puzzle for the 2008 team who would go on to dominate in Beijing.
Despite some attempts by the director, players, and a couple of the sport’s talking heads to cast the 2008 team as the best Olympic Team ever, there’s no real argument that this team (or its journey) was better than that of 1992’s Dream Team.
There’s plenty of behind-the-scenes footage for basketball fans and interviews from the likes of LeBron James, Carlos Boozer, and Dwight Howard as well as Doug Collins, Bill Plaschke, and Sam Smith. While some interviews are new, many of them are pulled from earlier interviews with the players including, of course, all the interviews with Kobe Bryant (who the film argues was not only the most important addition to the team but whose inclusion here also started a resurgence in the second-half of the NBA player’s career).
Watch the trailer