Former Heat star Dwyane Wade has documentary about the 2008 USA ‘Redeem Team’ in works
Looks like Dwyane Wade has a hit on his hands.
The Miami Heat legend recently revealed that he’s producing on a documentary about the “Redeem Team,” the U.S. Men’s basketball squad that won gold in the 2008 Olympics.
“It’s something that we’ve been working on for the last year or so,” Wade said on a podcast published Friday. “For me, that was a big year, 2008. I had to kind of redeem myself, because everybody thought I was done.
“But that was an amazing time, man, and, like, that team, dog? Oh my gosh. That team was special.”
“Special” might be a bit of an understatement. The team, highlighted by Wade, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, combined for a whopping 102 All-Star appearances, 71 All-NBA selections and 15 championships. Their success laid the groundwork for the 2012 U.S.A team, arguably the best squad assembled since the 1992 Dream Team.
The Redeem Team moniker stems from the squad’s task of restoring the greatness of U.S. basketball. Following subpar finishes in the 2002 FIBA World Cup and the 2004 Olympics, Team USA appointed Jerry Colangelo as director and Mike Krzyzewski as head coach to help change the culture within the organization.
As Wade alluded to, the 2008 Olympics were particularly important in his career. Injuries caused the superstar to miss 62 games in the two seasons leading up to Beijing. His absence didn’t bode well for the Heat as they were swept in the first round of the ‘07 playoffs and had the worst record in the league the following year.
But Wade found his rhythm in Beijing. The then-26-year-old not only led the team in scoring but deepened his bond with James and Chris Bosh. Their friendship would eventually set up the next stage of Wade’s career: the Big Three era.
