In 2024, the U.S. men’s basketball team went home with the gold medal, but it was much closer than expected.

Their strong 12-man roster of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry was expected to comfortably make it through the Olympics, but instead they nearly lost a friendly match against South Sudan 101-100.

This narrow escape dampened the expectations of many, including former Philadelphia 76ers great Dwight Howard. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year shared Gil’s Arena that he will prefer the 2008 Redeem Team to this year’s squad.

“That’s a good number, I’m rooting for our team. We’ve got a Kobe at his best, a young LeBron, the bald D-Wade. I’ve got 2008. We were young, Bron was 23, I’m 22, Melo 24, Chris Bosh 24! Oh man,” Howard said. “That one at his best, those are their years, Wade was 26 and Boozer was going crazy.”

There are many ways to debate which team was better, but it’s important to note that there’s likely some bias since Howard played on the 2008 squad. The debate over the sheer number of All-Stars is a disaster, as 11 of the 12 players on each roster have been selected at least once in their careers. Tayshaun Prince (2008) and Derrick White (2024) are the only non-All-Stars in this matter. It’s worth noting that the 2024 roster almost came out on top before Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard left.

It’s almost impossible to say which group had more firepower, but as Howard noted, age could play a role. The leaders of this year’s group are all well over 30, while the 2008 team was led by young guys.

Regardless of personal preferences, both Team USA teams achieved their goal and won gold.

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