Dwyane Wade has a one-word reaction to Team USA throwback video of Kobe Bryant flooring Pau Gasol in 2008

Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade shared a one-word reaction to Team USA's throwback video featuring Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Bryant famously ran through Gasol, his LA Lakers teammate at the time, and put his back on the floor to send a message in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In a video shared by UNINTERRUPTED on X, formerly known as Twitter, several members of the Redeem Team remembered the play where Bryant took out Gasol in the first play of the game. It was a way to send a message to his Team USA teammates that it was not a regular game but a very important one.

Here's how Wade reacted to the throwback clip:

"Legendary 🐍"

The clip was from the Redeem Team documentary on Netflix released last year. The incident happened in a group stage game between Team USA and Spain. With Spain gaining an early lead with eight minutes to go in the first quarter, Kobe Bryant knew what play they were going to run and decided to set the tone by plowing his teammate Pau Gasol.

It shocked every member of Team USA, including the likes of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. The play gave them the confidence they needed to blow out Spain in that, which they did 119-82. Bryant was all about business and Gasol knew what his "brother" was trying to do.

The two teams met again in the gold medal game, but it was much closer than expected since Spain played much better. It was a four-point game with two minutes left but Wade and Bryant closed it out for Team USA.

---

What did Pau Gasol say about Kobe Bryant putting him on the floor in the 2008 Olympics?

What did Pau Gasol say about Kobe Bryant putting him on the floor in the 2008 Olympics? (Photo: IMAGN)

In the Redeem Team documentary, Pau Gasol was not surprised by what Kobe Bryant did to inspire his Team USA teammates back then. Gasol and Bryant were pretty close, but it was about sending a message to both sides.

"He just went right to the middle of my chest trying to get right through me to send a message. Not just to me, but to his teammates saying, 'Hey, this might be my brother. I play with him. We're close. But I don't care about anything else but winning," Gasol said.

Gasol and Bryant played together for six and a half seasons, making it to three NBA Finals and winning two championships in 2009 and 2010. They became one of the greatest duos in LA Lakers history and were pretty close off the court, a rarity for the "Black Mamba."