Top 5 iconic moments of Kobe Bryant's illustrious 20-year career

#4 Winning two Olympic Gold Medals with USA National Team

Kobe Bryant with his 2008 Olympic Gold Medal

It comes as a surprise to many that it took such a great player like Kobe Bryant 12 full years to finally represent his country at the Olympics. Part of the reason for his absence was injuries and surgeries he needed to undergo over the off seasons. In 2006, USA Basketball program director Jerry Colangelo called upon Bryant as a veteran to help a relatively young team to reclaim the Olympic Gold for USA, after disappointingly losing to Argentina in the semi-final of the 2004 Olympics.

Bryant, who was at the peak of his NBA career at that moment, not only led his team off the court by setting the example as a leader but also when the team needed it the most. During the last four minutes of the Gold medal game against the Spain national team in 2008, Bryant was an integral part of every play the USA Basketball team ran whether it involved creating a shot for somebody else or finishing a play himself.

In 2012 at the ripe age of 36, Bryant flew to London with USA Basketball for his second attempt at winning gold his country. With the rise of superstars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, Bryant just had to play the role of a spot-up shooter and the occasional playmaker. However his presence in the locker room was much needed.

Here’s Bryant talking about what it meant to reclaim the gold for the USA: