Netflix has invested heavily in sports documentaries recently, with looks at the Manti Te’o scandal and the AND-1 Mixtape Tour, but their next documentary figures to be the one that will draw the most attention, as the 2008 Redeem Team is getting documentary treatment with the majority of the major players involved in interviews.
On Saturday, a trailer for the documentary offered an example of the types of stories they’ll be telling, with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, and Pau Gasol all discussing how Kobe Bryant decided to set the tone for the U.S.’s showdown with Spain by running straight through the chest of his Lakers teammate on the first play of the game — something he told his Team USA teammates he was going to do in the huddle before tipoff.
In 2004, the US Olympic Men’s Basketball team lost the gold and sought redemption in Beijing 2008. @KingJames, @DwyaneWade, and Kobe Bryant led The Redeem Team. This is that story. #TUDUM pic.twitter.com/95MCsOQ6h3
— Netflix (@netflix) September 24, 2022
It’s a sensational story, with LeBron noting that none of them believed Kobe would do that and how that immediately set the tone — with Melo saying it’s exactly what they needed to show what competitive level they had to be at. On Pau’s side, he said he let himself get lulled into a false sense of security by Kobe coming over to hang out with the Spanish players prior to the game, doing all that brother talk before literally running through him to start the game.