Before the Redeem Team played in the 2008 Olympics, Kobe Bryant already envisioned how things would play out for them in Beijing. For Team USA to reclaim basketball supremacy, they had to defeat the reigning Olympic champions, Argentina.
To do that, Bryant believed that they had to stop the head of the snake, Manu Ginobili and, he did not want to leave that job to anyone else. Former Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski recalled how The Black Mamba personally asked him if he could do the job himself.
"He had this vision of moments," said Krzyzewski. "He knew that for us to win the gold medal, we would have to beat Argentina, whether be it in the semis or the gold medal game. He wanted to guard Ginobili. Believe me, he already had that figured out. He leans forward, and he said, 'Coach, I'll promise you I'll destroy him.'"
Manu was the heart and soul of Argentina
In 2004, Team USA's gold medal hopes ended when Argentina defeated them 89-81 in the semifinals. In that game, Ginobili led El Alma Argentina with a team-high 29 points on 9-13 shooting, including 4-6 from three-point range.
Manu then scored 16 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists, leading Argentina to a convincing 84-69 win over Italy in the gold medal game. Ginobili also won the 2004 Summer Olympics MVP award, cementing his position as the best player in the tournament.
Four years later, 30-year-old Ginobili was already a three-time NBA champion with the Spurs and the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year winner. Although Luis Scola was starting to emerge during that time, Manu was still Argentina's heart and soul. If the Americans wanted the gold, they needed to put the cuffs on Manu.
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Kobe was up to the task
True to Kobe's vision, the paths of Team USA and Argentina crossed in the tournament's semifinals, and Bryant guarded Ginobili during the game. And true to his promise to Coach K, The Black Mamba held down Manu to just two points on 1-4 shooting, including 0-2 from three-point distance.
The matchup lasted just six minutes after Ginobili suffered a foot injury that saw him miss the rest of the contest. Without Manu, Team USA rolled past Argentina 101-81 to advance to the gold medal game, where they defeated Spain to bring the gold back to U.S. soil.
Kobe scored 20 points in the championship game, hitting one big shot after another to keep the Spaniards at bay. But more than that clutch offensive performance, it was Bryant's defensive effort against Argentina that Coach K. will never forget.
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