Kobe Bryant made it very clear on Friday that the U.S. basketball team will only be satisfied with taking home the gold medal in Beijing this month, according to The Bangkok Post.

"We're here to win gold, and it's serious business," said Bryant.

"We just have to continue to get better; that's the key for us. Every single game that's our message; every single day the team tries to progress to be a better basketball team."

The United States has not won a major international basketball title since the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.