Duke basketball’s Carlos Boozer discusses Olympics, Redeem Team, Kobe Bryant in new book

Editor’s Note: This story is the second installment of our four-part series highlighting Carlos Boozer and his book – Every Shot Counts: A Memoir of Resilience. Published by HarperCollins, the book was released Oct. 3 and can be found in hardcover, e-book and audiobook versions. The Fayetteville Observer/USA TODAY Network will highlight key moments from Boozer’s journey, from his time with Coach K and Duke basketball to life off the court.

Duke basketball legend Carlos Boozer dedicates a chapter in his book to the 2002 NBA Draft, a night he described as a “nightmare.”

Fresh off an incredible three-year run with the Blue Devils, Boozer watched as player after player was taken ahead of him before the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him in the second round. Boozer gives a detailed account of that night in “Every Shot Counts: A Memoir of Resilience,” which was released Oct. 3.

Boozer lived out a dream for 13 seasons with the Cavs, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. He made the All-Rookie team and consecutive All-Star squads, averaging 16.9 points and 9.5 rebounds in 861 games.

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Boozer played alongside some of the NBA’s all-time greats, including LeBron James and the late Kobe Bryant.

During a 45-minute interview with The Fayetteville Observer/USA TODAY Network, Boozer discussed several topics featured in his book. In the second installment of our four-part series, we take a look at two different experiences at the Olympics and Bryant’s influence for the "Redeem Team.”

Differences for USA basketball at Olympics in 2004, 2008

U.S. men’s basketball became a punchline after the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where the team lost three games and won the bronze medal. The 2008 squad, dubbed the “Redeem Team,” put America back on top with a gold-medal performance in Beijing.

Carlos Boozer was there to experience both ends of the spectrum.

“It was just the complete opposite. In ‘04, it was like they threw us together last minute to go beat the world,” Boozer said.

“There was the tale of two groups on that team. You had the older group, which was like Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Shawn Marion – the Matrix – Richard Jefferson (and) Lamar Odom. And you had the young gunners, which was myself, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade,  Amar'e Stoudemire and LeBron James. … It was like this high school separation, because they were getting all the playing time.”

Following the letdown in Greece, former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski took over as head coach and NBA legend Kobe Bryant was named team captain to spearhead a shift back to the top.

“It was night and day,” Boozer said. “When Coach (K) said we were bringing in Kobe, I was like, ‘This is going to be amazing.’ I already knew his work ethic and his reputation. The guy’s a winner, which is what we needed at the time.”

Kobe Bryant’s influence on USA Basketball’s ‘Redeem Team’

Boozer mentioned Netflix’s “The Redeem Team” documentary and highlighted several stories from the team’s training camp in Las Vegas leading up to the Beijing Olympics.

“For us, we’re trying our best to establish USA Basketball again,” Boozer said.

“We lost to Argentina in 2004 and everybody was talking about how good Spain was (in 2008). Obviously, they were terrific – we met them in the final – so it was warranted. But when Kobe came, it was a whole different energy.”

Boozer recounted a pair of Kobe-powered tactics that sparked the 2008 squad.

“We get in there and Kobe sets the tone in practice the first day – doesn’t take one shot and is hustling, winning every sprint. … He’s showing that we’re going to win this championship with our defense, not with our offense. That kind of set the tone,” Boozer said.

Boozer continued to praise Bryant’s intense demeanor, which served as a motivating force in Vegas and beyond.

“Watching how hard this guy worked, it’s like, ‘Damn, am I working hard enough?’” Boozer said.

That came to a head after most of the team had a night out in Vegas and returned to find Bryant on his way to a workout.

“We’re walking in there at 4-5 in the morning and we see Kobe going to the weight room. We’re like, ‘Kobe, what the (expletive) are you doing?’ There’s only 12 Olympians, so 11 of us went out and one of us didn’t. As Kobe was walking with his gym bag and workout gear to the weight room – and we’re walking in from a night out on the town – he goes, ‘I got goals’ and just kept walking,” Boozer said.

“We get on the elevator and I’m looking at myself like, ‘Damn, you got goals?’ It was subtle but so profound. It was a self-reflecting moment for the rest of us. Next thing you know, by the end of the week, we’re all up at 6 in the morning, lifting weights, going to breakfast, going to practice and then going back after practice and coming in at night time.

“If you look at that year and everybody on that team … all of us had incredible years and I’m telling you, in my opinion, we were inspired by Kobe’s work ethic.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball’s Carlos Boozer talks Olympics, Kobe Bryant in book