In the Men’s Olympic Semifinals in Paris, Team USA overcame Serbia with a 12-point comeback in the fourth quarter to secure their spot in the Gold Medal game versus France. In the last ten minutes of the match against Serbia, the all-star team had to summon their Mamba Mentality to hold off a spectacular attack from Nikola Jokic and company. In honor of the late, great Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal urges the squad to perform even better in the championship game.
In a recent article, Shaq emphasized the connection between the date of the Gold Medal contest and the legendary Lakers player who passed away.
On August 10, 2024, Team USA and Team France will compete for the Gold. The numerals 8-10-24 represent the jersey numbers that Bryant wore during his professional career.
Shaq’s made his message clear for Team USA pic.twitter.com/cjKo41HOkA
— What are (W)NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) August 9, 2024
With the Lakers, Bryant won three NBA titles wearing the #8 jersey and two while wearing the #24. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2012 London Olympics, and the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, he competed for Team USA wearing #10.
Kobe Bryant’s contribution to Team USA
In each of the three competitions, the Kobe Bryant guided the nation to victory. He went 36-0 in 36 games as a member of the national team. O’Neal wants Team USA to make sure that on a day as auspicious as August 10th, they do not mishandle the ball.
The Superteam would prefer a far more seamless Final versus Team France than their semifinal matchup with Team Serbia. They were in danger of losing the most stunning game in Olympic basketball history, trailing by as many as 17 points.
Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony with Team USA with their Gold Medals in 2012 Olympics in London
But with to tremendous fourth-quarter performances from Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James, they avoided the shock loss. The gold medal game, however, won’t be simple.
Team France is aiming to exact revenge on Team USA following their disappointing silver medal performance in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. A boisterous home crowd will support Victor Wembanyama and company as they attempt to overcome one of the strongest foreign rosters ever put together.
