Team USA
For the first time in his life, basketball did not come easy for LeBron James. And he was playing for a coach who wasn't utterly enamored with his talent and attitude.
Welcome to the 2004 United States Olympic team.
The 19-year-old LeBron James had just won the 2004 Rookie of the Year Award. Now he was playing for the USA team coached by Larry Brown, who was trying to revive a national team that had finished an embarrassing sixth in the 2002 World Championships on its home turf in Indianapolis. Brown took over in 2003, and Team USA glided to Olympic qualification by winning a tournament in Puerto Rico. But 12 players turned down the invitation to play for the 2004 team. The Team USA committee was scrambling to secure players within a month of the start of training camp. There were five late additions, including LeBron.
LeBron was part of a group of young players who saw themselves as the future of the Olympic program and the NBA. It also included Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Amare Stoudemire. LeBron was excited by the opportunity, and especially to play for Brown, a Hall of Fame coach. Brown had praised LeBron during his rookie season, a year when Brown had led the Detroit Pistons to a championship.
The team trained in Jacksonville, Florida. When LeBron arrived, he hooked up with veteran Allen Iverson, whom he had been introduced to while still in high school. It seemed like a good match. Iverson had been the MVP three years earlier, and he had played for Brown in Philadelphia. Brown also named Iverson as one of Team USA's captains. Iverson was one of the veterans LeBron admired.
But a few days after the start of camp, LeBron, Iverson and Stoudemire showed up late for a team meeting. Brown was angry. To set an example, he suspended all three for an exhibition game that week against Puerto Rico. It was out of character for LeBron, who is known for always being on time. It was a sign that he was trying to fit in and go with the crowd on the veteran team. It also was a reminder that he was only 19.
LeBron received a reasonable amount of playing time during the series of exhibition games in Europe on the way to Athens, Greece, the host city of the 2004 Olympics. But once the real Olympic games began, Brown barely played LeBron or the other young players. This was a shock to them. Brown had not spelled out their role, and they all believed they were key parts of the team. Instead, most of the minutes went to Stephon Marbury, Richard Jefferson and Lamar Odom. All played inconsistently.
During a stretch of games when LeBron and Wade played well, they came up with a nickname for themselves, along with Anthony and Stoudemire. They started calling themselves the "Young Guns." That didn't exactly thrill Brown, who saw it as a sign of arrogance.
LeBron played 18 minutes and had 10 points and five rebounds in a win over Australia. He thought he'd played well. But he played only six minutes in the next game against Lithuania, which Team USA lost. Then LeBron played only six minutes in the next game. Against Angola, LeBron was on the court for 27 minutes, scoring 11 points. He felt confident about his stature on the team, and the nicknames were being tossed around again. But in the next two games of the medal round, including a loss to Argentina that ended gold medal hopes, LeBron played a total of 10 minutes.
Brown wasn't enamored with the younger players. He complained about their failures and almost seemed to be setting them up to take the blame if the Olympic team failed to grab the gold medal. He rarely said anything encouraging to them. Anthony and Stoudemire openly showed their disdain for Brown, refusing to join huddles during timeouts. LeBron kept his spirits up, cheering from the sidelines. But inside he was burning. Never in his career had he sat out crunch time of close games.
Team USA lost three times, twice in the qualifying rounds, and to Argentina in the semifinals. LeBron averaged only 5.4 points in 12.1 minutes per game. This was his first experience of a coach not believing he was among the top players on the team - a coach not showing confidence in LeBron to make big plays, or even be on the court when it mattered most. He was angry with Brown. (The next season, LeBron scored 41 points in his first game against Brown's Pistons.) He also wasn't sure he wanted to play in the Olympics, with some players who didn't take it that seriously, and a coach who was fearful of looking bad if the team failed.
LeBron owns four international medals: a gold medal from the 2008 Olympics, a bronze medal from the 2004 Olympics, a gold medal from the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, and a bronze medal from the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
Meanwhile, USA Basketball, the body that selects the U.S. Olympic team, was under new leadership. Jerry Colangelo, the managing director of the men's senior national team, realized the world had made a statement on the court in several international competitions: Team USA was no longer a dominant basketball power. Especially if Team USA continued to approach these events by just throwing a team of stars together with a big-name coach and expecting them to win on sheer talent. Colangelo had to take a new approach, and he wanted LeBron to be the cornerstone of a team that he hoped would reclaim the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics.
Colangelo met with LeBron right after Christmas in 2005 when the Cavs were in Chicago. Convincing LeBron to sign on to the program was vital. He could be a magnet to attract other young stars. But Colangelo was asking a lot, a three-year commitment leading up to the 2008 Olympics. It was an effort to construct team chemistry, and for the players to know this was not just another All-Star game or casual summertime romp on the court. In the past, pro players wavered on their commitments up until June before the Olympics. Many players backed out as the date approached. The three-year concept didn't appeal to some. Olympic veterans like Tim Duncan passed and so did Shaquille O'Neal.
LeBron told Colangelo that he was disillusioned by how he was treated in 2004, and how Brown alienated the young stars. There was some talk that LeBron, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade would perhaps skip playing for the national team. Entering the meeting, Colangelo was aware of this feeling. Bringing LeBron into the fold right away wouldn't only help convince others to accept the three-year deal but also signify a truly fresh start.
All three players were members of the 2003 draft. All had each other on cell phone speed dial. All felt a combination of competition and admiration for each other. And even in 2005, Colangelo believed LeBron had the strongest leadership gifts of the three - despite being the youngest. That's why he pursued LeBron first. If LeBron agreed, there was an excellent chance the others would follow.
When Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski was hired to take over as coach of Team USA, LeBron was convinced the change would make the team better. In his first few years of high school, LeBron sometimes talked about attending Duke and playing for Krzyzewski. LeBron also was impressed when Krzyzewski assembled an excellent staff with Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan, and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.
When the team gathered for practice in the summer of 2006 in Las Vegas, the roster included veteran players such as Shane Battier and Antawn Jamison. Kobe Bryant wanted to play, but he was out with knee surgery. In the 2005-06 season, LeBron led the Cavs to 50 victories and a second-round spot in the playoffs. He also was second in the Most Valuable Player Award. With that momentum, the Team USA coaching staff was hoping LeBron would be one of the team leaders. They counted on his energy and upbeat personality to rub off on some of the other players in practice. But in his first days with the team LeBron seemed distracted. While he said he wanted a different approach to the Olympics, he was still stuck in the 2004 model where players went through the motions during the day, thinking about what they had planned for that evening. The coaches and even some of the players felt LeBron was going through the motions in drills. He wasn't showing much leadership when the team did its 5-on-5 work in practice. He often seemed indifferent in team meetings.
Without Bryant, and with a new and mostly younger cast, the expectation was that LeBron would step up and grab at least some of the leadership. Krzyzewski had a few talks with LeBron, and the young star slowly improved in all areas, on and off the court. But that first training camp was generally a letdown, at least to the coaches who arrived with high expectations.
"LeBron was young and Coach K was feeling his way," said Jerry Colangelo. "They both had heard a lot about each other but didn't know each other. That first summer was important for them."
"It was a feeling-out process with Coach K and with all the players," said Mike D'Antoni. "It's why Colangelo wanted a three-year commitment, so that you can define [player] roles. The first time that you see it, everything was a little bit of a shock for everyone. We didn't get it totally right that first summer but we kept working and it solidified. We understood what LeBron could do. Coach K had a lot of talks [with LeBron], and he eventually just seized that moment. LeBron was one of the three guys who we had for all three summers. That ended up being huge for us, and huge for LeBron too because by the end he fully grasped it."
When Team USA went to Japan for the World Championships, they won their first six games easily. But in their first tough game, they were wiped out by Greece's pick-and-roll offense. The Greeks ran the same basic play time and time and time again without Team USA stopping it. Greece had several NBA draft picks on the team along with veteran point guard Theo Papaloukas, who was a well-known European star.
Krzyzewski never changed his defense, when a zone would have been the antidote. Another problem was that LeBron and the other leaders didn't show signs of stepping up to gather the team together in the crucial moments.
These events were the turning point for Krzyzewski, LeBron and many of the other players. After the loss to Greece, there was an off-day with no practice. Krzyzewski had a private meeting with LeBron, Anthony and Wade at the team hotel. He challenged them to recover to win the bronze medal game because it would set the tone for the next two summers. They were playing Argentina, who had won the 2004 Olympic gold medal. It turned out to be the first time there was a serious leadership statement from LeBron. During the meeting, he asked to be moved to point guard, where the team had been having trouble. That showed he knew what needed to be done - and was willing to do it, even if it meant him playing out of his natural position and perhaps sacrificing some scoring. LeBron went out and led a dominating win over Argentina at point guard, avenging the loss to Argentina in the 2004 Olympics. He had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as Team USA won 96-81.
"When you are a superstar, you have a unique opportunity to be a leader. What you can do on the floor will inspire your teammates," said D'Antoni. "So what you try to do as a coach is present to the player what you think he can do for you. The opportunity was there for LeBron to become a great leader. He was already one of the best players on the planet. He eventually seized the moment. He bought into it and represented the United States."
A year after taking the bronze medal in the 2006 World Championships, Team USA had to play in the FIBA Americas Championships to earn a spot in the Olympics, at an event in Las Vegas. Now healthy again, Kobe Bryant joined Team USA for the first time in his career. And to help with the point guard issues, Colangelo convinced veteran Jason Kidd to join the team. Both additions ended up having a significant impact on LeBron. Kidd and LeBron knew each other, but were not close. A few months before, LeBron had knocked Kidd's New Jersey Nets out of the playoffs on the way to his first NBA Finals appearance. LeBron and Bryant had virtually no relationship. While they saw each other at All-Star Games and various summer events, and were also featured Nike pitchmen, they moved in opposite worlds. Bryant was much older. LeBron still had his high school buddies, and his NBA friends from the 2003 draft.
LeBron arrived in Las Vegas with a new sense of confidence after leading the Cavs to the 2007 Finals, which had ended only a month before. LeBron also had a new determination to improve after a poor showing in the Finals when the Spurs exposed his inconsistent mid-range jumper. LeBron had dedicated himself to upgrading his game, approaching this with more passion than at any previous point in his pro career.
In Kidd, LeBron saw an incredible leader, not just on the floor, but in huddles and team meetings. Kidd also put on a remarkable display of unselfishness during that FIBA Americas Tournament, going entire games without shooting the ball. He was also dedicated to the new system that the coaches wanted to play. Team USA started blowing everyone out and won easily to get the berth in China. Even Krzyzewski showed some growth. On the first possession of the tournament, the Americans came out in a zone defense.
But what really struck LeBron was Kidd's attitude.
"He is one of the best point guards in the history of the game," LeBron said after that summer experience. "For me personally, it was definitely a good experience to watch how he put the team before himself and it carried over to everyone."
Then there was Bryant, whose impact on LeBron was just as profound. As is his nature, Bryant was serious about the task at hand, and his work ethic was nearly unrivaled by the other stars. Bryant was often the first player on the practice floor and the last player off. On the court, Bryant has a sharp edge to his personality, much like Michael Jordan. He is as demanding on his teammates as he is relentless to beat his opponent. But he pushes himself harder than anyone else. Bryant didn't have the same close relationships as Kidd and LeBron did with many of the Team USA players. But his intense focus was eye-opening for everyone. Soon, LeBron was following a similar practice regimen. Cavs assistant coach Chris Jent had flown in from Cleveland to put in time with LeBron on his shot, and they were spending more time in the gym than ever before. LeBron had two schedules going: his USA Basketball commitments and his own private workouts with Jent and others.
"Kobe served as an impetus for LeBron, whether LeBron knew that or not," said Jerry Colangelo. "Just by him being there, Kobe raised the bar for everyone - but especially LeBron. Over the last 40 years I've spent working in the NBA, I learned that sometimes players aren't totally aware of what they have left to give. LeBron had a lot more to give, and Kobe helped bring that out in him. When Kidd and Kobe got there, it helped considerably. They grew together and had a unique chemistry. Off the court they were friendly, but different. Kobe is more private and LeBron is more outgoing. But on the court they served as a constant challenge for each other."
LeBron never doubted he could blend his game with Bryant's.
"I'm probably the ultimate team player," he told the media covering Team USA. "I'll sacrifice whatever for the success of the team. Kobe is a great, great, great player. It's not hard for me and Kobe to get along."
That summer, LeBron unveiled his new and more technically sound jumper - a nagging issue for years. He'd had a bad habit of fading backward on his shots. LeBron started making shots with stunning regularity, which took some by surprise. He'd made only 32 percent of his shots in the Finals just weeks before. During the 2007 tournament, LeBron shot a remarkable 62 percent on three-pointers by making 23 of 37. The FIBA three-point line is about a foot closer than in the NBA, but there was little doubt that LeBron's shooting had improved.
Something else was becoming apparent: Kidd had emerged as the soul of the team. He was driven to convince his teammates to surrender their egos for the larger goal of winning the gold. Bryant was the go-to player on the court, as he had been for every team he'd ever been on, the guy who takes the most important shot in the most critical situations. But LeBron was becoming the team's voice. His personality and mixture of skills, his willingness to learn and to concentrate upon making the offense work impressed his coaches and older teammates.
"I'm not sure I've ever seen a young man mature as quickly as he did," said Colangelo. "He took major, dramatic steps."
LeBron took his new shot with him to the 2007-08 NBA season with the Cavs. He set a career high by shooting 48 percent from the field, which helped him win his first scoring title, averaging 30 points per game. After missing it the year before, LeBron was voted back onto the first team, All-NBA. He also finished third in the MVP voting. It was LeBron's best personal season as a pro. And there was no doubt much of it was a carryover from the summer before.
When LeBron re-joined his Team USA teammates in Las Vegas in late June of 2008 to begin the final preparations for the Beijing Olympics, the coaching staff was amazed at the way LeBron conducted himself, compared with two years earlier when they first worked with him.
About his leadership on the team, LeBron told reporters, "I knew it had to come from someone. It doesn't matter how good individuals are, if you don't have a leader, it's not going to be right. I took that responsibility from day 1, saying I'm going to be the vocal leader."
After several meetings over 18 months with LeBron, Krzyzewski realized his young star really did embrace the leadership role.
"[When I first met him], I thought he was a great young player," Mike Krzyzewski told the media covering Team USA. "Now, he's a great player. You didn't know he was going to be a leader. He's a terrific leader. He's one of the best leaders I've been around."
The Duke coach allowed LeBron to lead the team in drills and speak to the team before some practices. He also spoke in huddles during games, along with taking aside a player just to encourage him or listen to what a teammate had on his mind.
Thinking back to the 2004 Olympics, four years later LeBron told reporters: "We didn't have a leader. We just weren't a good team. We got to the semifinals just because of our individual abilities. It's totally different now."
LeBron loved the "team first" approach, and the coaching staff noticed the difference in his attitude.
"He had become our quarterback," said Mike D'Antoni. "What is special about LeBron is he sees the game without any sort of selfishness. That's a winning vision. When you have a guy with that ability, he needs to communicate it. When you have that, it is easier to make a united team."
Nate McMillan, the assistant who led the defense, said, "His voice became a part of what we did. First, he has a very loud, deep voice that everyone could hear. He acted like the quarterback on defense. We'd put him back there and he'd help his teammates because he sees the floor so well with his size and with his knowledge of what is going on within the game."
It says a lot about LeBron that he ended up as the triggerman of the offense for the 2008 team that finally won the gold medal. That roster included talented point guards in Chris Paul and Jason Kidd. But the coaches recalled LeBron's operating of the offense back in 2006 in the World Games in Japan when Team USA rallied to win the bronze medal.
The 6-foot-8 LeBron played point guard during parts of some games, then switched to power forward to help inside. The 2008 Team USA was somewhat "small," as Colangelo had tried to stack the team with tall wing defenders and good shooters to deal with the matchups they expected to face. That was why LeBron spent some time at power forward. D'Antoni designed numerous plays that put LeBron in the high post, where he would get the ball with good position, with the option to dribble, pull up, and shoot or pass. This proved devastating for the opposition, who always had problems knowing how many defenders should cover LeBron. He would continually find weaknesses in the defense. If he was double-covered, he passed to an open man for a lay-up. If a single, smaller defender tried to cover him, LeBron used his size to drive to the basket.
"You could put him anywhere on the floor and he'd be effective as a playmaker." marveled D'Antoni. He wasn't the point guard, but he pretty much became the point person for a lot of our players. He's one of the biggest and strongest players on the court."
Team USA coaches believed the team's depth and pure athletic talent - namely its speed and jumping ability - was reason to increase the tempo and play a pressing and aggressive style of defense. Olympic games are eight minutes shorter than 48-minute NBA games. Most of the players on Team USA usually played at least 35 minutes or more a night. So by substituting liberally to constantly have fresh players on the floor, they put their most physical effort into the defensive end of the court. Because he could cover every position on the floor, LeBron spent time guarding everyone from point guards to centers. He was the point man on the pressing defense, often defending the other team's best player - unless Bryant had that role. Then LeBron took the second-best scorer.
Team USA won the 2008 gold medal by defeating Spain, 118-107. Dwyane Wade led the team with 27 points, Bryant added 20, while LeBron scored 14 and grabbed six rebounds.
"After 2004, we touched base with each other and said we wanted to make a commitment to be part of USA Basketball and try to accomplish something we've never done before - win a gold medal," said LeBron. "Once we came together and we put in our time and our hearts - we gave up our summers."
But those summers made LeBron a better player in the winter, especially in the 2008-09 season. Cavs Coach Mike Brown studied Team USA's games closely. He came to training camp in 2008 planning to increase LeBron's time at power forward. It created a series of so-called "small" lineups that led to big success for LeBron and the Cavs the next season. The Olympic experience inspired LeBron to improve his defense during the NBA season. He consistently guarded the opposition's top wing scorer. He came from the weak side to block the shots of players defended by teammates. He was voted to the NBA All-Defensive Team for the first time.
"I'm just a better basketball player mentally, physically and emotionally," LeBron said after the Olympics.
He proved it with the Cavs in his MVP season.
"When he won the MVP, the entire USA Basketball family took great pride," said Colangelo. "There's a special bond between all of us. We certainly understand that all of these guys are valuable assets to their teams. Some see playing with us in the summer as a great risk. But I think what happens is players all come back from the experience better off than being left on their own."
That was certainly LeBron's perspective.
"Winning the gold medal was one of the most special moments in my life, it was a great accomplishment," LeBron said. "I came away knowing that I could be a leader on a team that had Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and guys like Jason Kidd. Now I know I can be a leader on any team I'm on."
