USA – Bryant shines at the 2007 State Farm Basketball USA Basketball Challenge

LAS VEGAS (FIBA Americas Championship) - With 17 players, each trying to become a member of the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team, and divided into Blue and White teams, an animated crowd of 15,132 and a national television audience were treated to a game as entertaining as it was competitive during the 2007 State Farm USA Basketball Challenge Sunday afternoon at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

In the end, it was the USA Blue Team that rallied back for the 105-104 win over the USA White squad. But the win was realized only after Kobe Bryant, wearing a USA uniform for the first time, drained the game winner on a 14' jumper above the foul line with: 06 left in the game and LeBron James’ shot to capture the win for his White team was off target at the buzzer.

"We’re really pleased with the training camp. The mini-camp went even better than we imagined and I think that’s because of the veterans we added to the team and the maturity of our team both physically and emotionally was just a lot better," said USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

"They all want to be here; they like one another; and they handled today as true professionals. They played that game very hard and we need to just keeping going with that”.

Those 17 players, who were active in the mini-camp, had been invited back when the team reassembles in Las Vegas on Aug. 15. The USA team will be reduced to its official 12-member roster before opening play in the FIBA Americas Championship that is being staged Aug. 22-Sept.2 in Las Vegas.

"It’s been a great couple of days. It’s a start, we understand that it’s a first step and obviously we still have a long way to go but these couple of days were great to get familiar with one another and play within a system and a structure," said Bryant.

"As you saw today, everybody got a chance to see what we’ve been going through at practice for the last couple of days - it’s extremely competitive, everybody still having a good time and enjoying themselves, but really going at each other and I think that’s what’s really going to make us better and help elevate our level."

"I think that it was great that everybody came in with the mind set to get better," stated James. "We knew we weren’t going to be here long, but everybody used these three days to get better and it showed in today’s game. As well as we played today I’m excited to get back here in August when we finally become one unit and go against the world.”

"Everybody came to compete; there was a lot of competition out there, friendly competition which will make us better. We all have one goal and that is to win the gold medal. You could see that starting at the team meeting Thursday and it just carried over to the game. It was probably better than the All-Star Game. For both teams to compete and push each other, it’s just going to make everything easier once it comes to playing the rest of the world," said Kidd.

USA Basketball & FIBA Americas