Hailey Van Lith credits ‘Mamba Mentality’ for helping Team USA win bronze in 3x3

With a bronze medal on the line, Hailey Van Lith looked to Kobe Bryant’s teachings to help her get Team USA over the hump against Canada.

After starting Olympic play 0-3, few had faith that Team USA would amount to anything in 3x3 play.

The women's team surged back, winning five straight games to earn a spot in the semifinals.

Their hopes for gold died after losing to Spain 18-16 in overtime, but they still had an opportunity to win the bronze medal if they beat Canada.

In that contest, Team USA found itself in another tight game. Canada led by as many as four and with under three minutes to go, the USA trailed 12-9.

And that's when Hailey Van Lith went to work.

First, she made a key assist to Dearica Hamby and converted on a free throw shot. She followed that up with another basket to tie the game at 12.

This was the game's turning point as Team USA never looked back and won the bronze medal, beating Canada 16-13.

It's not an exaggeration to say this win wouldn't have been possible without Van Lith's play. She was not only the driving force of the late-game rally but the engine of the offense the entire game. She scored a team-high six points and went 5-7 from the field.

After the game, she spoke about how Kobe Byant was the key to her digging deep in this matchup.

“I think Kobe would be proud as heck of me for not letting us lose that last game. Sometimes you can’t control the outcomes like that last game. I’m not gonna lie, it was tough. It was a tough situation for us to win it and we just didn’t sulk in it. That’s the Kobe mentality. It’s like, ‘F it,’ go out and win the next game.”

The resiliency to not look at the bronze game as a consolation prize you don't want has to be tough. Especially for a USA team defending the gold medal they won in 3x3 play in the last Olympics.

Had the USA walked away from the Paris Olympics medal-less, the criticism would've been loud about why they failed.

Van Lith, in particular, has faced a lot of harsh criticism this year. She was part of the LSU team that got torched against Catlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes, going viral with her reverse MJ shrug. She looked defeated while Clark attacked her repeatedly in one-on-one situations.

So, seeing her being the highlight of a positive story is refreshing.

This comeback win demonstrates her utilization of the "Mamba Mentality" she discussed. We all fail. Kobe failed more than he succeeded. He was loved because he never cheated the game, got back up and went to work.

Van Lith didn't win the national title for LSU and she didn't win the gold medal for Team USA, but she's a winner in life.

She keeps fighting, working and putting her best foot forward. Van Lith gives her all and at the end of the day, that's all one can ask of themselves.

After the win, you saw the joy exuding from her face. She was grinning from ear to ear, embraced her teammates on the court and briefly talked with her family virtually on a screen off the floor.

For a player who has been through a lot in 2024, it's good to see the positives beginning to override the negatives.

Van Lith has a bright future ahead and is just getting started. She's an elite college player, a bronze medalist and likely a soon-to-be WNBA player.

She's succeeded on a big stage and failed on them, too, but she's still here putting in the work and ready for more; now that's mamba.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.