2008 USA Basketball Men's National Team

In the wake of the third-place finish at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, a reckoning was taking place in the United States. The sport that America gave the world and had dominated since the beginning was now being overtaken by countries near and far. USA Basketball needed a reset. Into the fray stepped Jerry Colangelo, the Chicago-bred-transplant-to-Phoenix boss whose entire life was the game of basketball. Colangelo understood the assignment: Return the gold to basketball’s birthplace and restore Uncle Sam’s standing among nations. The 2008 United States men’s national team met the challenge head on winning games by an average of 21 points. Led by superstars Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Jason Kidd, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul, and fortified by players like Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, Tayshaun Prince, and Deron Williams, coach Mike Krzyzewski rallied the troops to bring the gold home. The United States went 8-0 against the competition, including the 118-107 win over Spain in the gold medal game.