Coach K: Kobe's why I'm still coaching Team USA; inspires 'alpha dogs'

If it wasn't for Kobe Bryant, Mike Krzyzewski might not be coaching a stacked U.S. men's national team today.

Krzyzewski has two gold medals (from Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012), and will head to Rio next month in search of his third. He admitted, though, that he wouldn't be in this position were it not for The Black Mamba's brilliance.

"In London, (Bryant) was also an integral part of what we were doing and a key guy," Krzyzewski said Tuesday at a USA Basketball practice. "But if we lose in Beijing, you're not interviewing me right now."

The Lakers legend carried Team USA in the 2008 gold medal game against Spain. In typical clutch Mamba fashion, he notched 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to blow the close contest open and ensure the side wouldn't fall short of gold for the second straight Olympics.

"With less than nine minutes to go, we're up by two against Spain - there's a lot of pressure on him," Krzyzewski recounted. "He comes out and he was the Mamba."

Sure enough, the "Redeem Team" achieved its goal and the coach remained on board.

Related: Coach K asked Kobe about availability for Rio: 'He's still part of our program'

Although Bryant's days of suiting up in the red, white, and blue are behind him, his legacy lives on, as he had a hand in forming the current group that's gearing up to represent America on the world stage.

"He was the alpha dog during '08," Krzyzewski said. "And we had a lot of other aspiring alpha dogs: LeBron (James), Carmelo (Anthony), and those guys. So how do you get that era and this era together? They did.

"And then in London, you start adding (Kevin Durant) and (Russell) Westbrook. Now you have three eras of alpha dogs, and they got it together. But Kobe set an example for that. He's smart. Really smart and good. I love him."