Team USA Brings Back the Gold in Men's Basketball

"It's about winning with dignity. It's showing humility, showing respect for the game and the people in the game internationally.

"The fact that we had this team for three years was the telling difference in this game. It was a great game. It was a pressure game from the get-go, and we never cracked. The fact that we were together for this period of time was the difference.”

--Jerry Colangelo, former owner of the Phoenix Suns, who was given responsibility for bring the USA team back to prior glory.

"We played with great character in one of the great games in international basketball history, I think."

--U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski.

"What you saw today was a team bonding together, facing adversity and coming out with a huge win."

--Kobe Bryant, who scored 20 points in the final game.

Dwayne Wade led the team with 27 points.

"If it wasn't for the determination and willpower we had, we wouldn't be back on top of the world, which is where we are."

--LeBron James.

"We stayed at the soccer matches to see the U.S. women get their gold medals - just to see what that was going to be like.

"We had our flag and we were holding our flag and waving it around, just to support them, just to see their families, how they interacted with them - with the emotion that comes along with that.

"Months and months and months of preparation - it was good for us to see that and draw inspiration from that."

--Kobe Bryant.

"We are very, very proud of the way our players have conducted themselves, how engaging they've been during the entire Olympics ...They scored a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10," said Colangelo.

“It wasn’t so much individual stuff and individual talent. It was more teamwork, probably well-directed by their coaching staff.

“I’ve seen the guys hungry and want to get back to the top. That’s what they’ve done. They were able to get to the top again and show that they should be in first place, but they had to work for it.”

--Pau Gasol, Spain's top player and current NBA player, who scored 21 points in the final in a losing cause.

Watch the gold medal game highlights on NBCOlympics.com, or click on: http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.html?assetid=0824_hd_bkm_hl_l1348r2&channelcode=sportbk