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SPORTS Saturday 14 September 2019

Kobe Bryant: Easy days for

USA Basketball are over

By TIM REYNOLDS rest of the world has been
AP Basketball Writer caught up for quite some
BEIJING (AP) — Kobe Bry- time,” Bryant said. “It’s to
ant played on the Redeem the point now where the
Team in 2008, the one that U.S., we’re going to win
delivered a gold medal in some and we’re going to
Beijing after a series of USA lose some. That’s just how it
Basketball disappointments goes.
in big tournaments. “We’re going to have our
Back in Beijing this week- challenges for the next
end, Bryant isn’t sure an- team, whether it’s Redeem
other Redeem Team will be 2 or whatever you want to
so easy to find for the U.S. call it,” Bryant continued.
The five-time NBA cham- “No matter what team it is, In this March 21, 2019, file photo, Kobe Bryant speaks with students at Andrew Hamilton School in
pion and two-time Olym- it’s not going to be easy.” Philadelphia.
pic gold medalist is at the This U.S. World Cup team Associated Press
final weekend of the World was not overly star-pow- nament. even that easy for the Re- Spain,” Bryant said. “And
Cup as an ambassador for ered, after plenty of peo- The U.S. finishes its World deem Team, Bryant point- that was a hell of a team
FIBA. However, he won’t ple who were under con- Cup stay on Saturday ed out. That team with Bry- we had. We still needed
be watching the U.S. in sideration for roster spots against Poland. The next ant, LeBron James, Dwyane a really late push to beat
the medal round. The best dropped out before the big tournament for the Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Spain. So I say that to say,
the Americans can do at on-court selection process. U.S. will be the 2020 Tokyo Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Ja- put the best players that
this tournament is seventh The Americans won their Olympics, where the Ameri- son Kidd and more beat you think makes the best
place, and Bryant says the first five games, but lost cans will seek a fourth con- Spain 118-107 for the gold U.S. team out there on the
days of automatic gold to France in the quarterfi- secutive gold medal. And medal, but it took some he- floor and we are still going
medals for the U.S. — re- nals and then to Serbia in some top NBA players, like roics — a four-point play by to have challenges. It’s not
gardless of who is on the the consolation round — Draymond Green, have Bryant with about 3 minutes going to be a cakewalk.
roster — may be over. meaning their seventh- or already publicly said they left among them — to pull “The days of the 1992 Bar-
“It’s not a matter of the eighth-place showing in would like to play next sum- away in the final moments. celona Dream Team are
rest of the world catching China will be the program’s mer. “We needed a hell of a gone, over. It’s going to be
up to the U.S. It’s that the worst ever in a major tour- But winning gold wasn’t fourth quarter to beat tough.”q