U.S. men, women 3×3 hoops earn Olympic berths
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Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer
Team USA has qualified for the Olympics in men’s 3×3 basketball for the first time and will join the American women as they defend their gold medal next summer in Paris, FIBA announced Wednesday.
The U.S. men, as the No. 2-ranked team in the FIBA world rankings, avoided having to qualify next summer. No. 1 Serbia, which beat the U.S. in the gold-medal game earlier this year in the 3×3 World Cup, and No. 3 China also clinched an Olympic spot.
The Americans failed to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but won gold at the Pam Am games last month to help secure the Paris bid.
“Making it to the Olympics, that’s what it’s been all about for us,” said former NBA guard Jimmer Fredette, who has played for the U.S. 3-on-3 men’s program. “It means a ton. The opportunity to be able to represent our country at the Olympics would be an amazing experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to represent our country a few times, but the Olympics is a whole different level.”
The women’s team also holds a No. 2 FIBA ranking, earning an Olympic berth along with No. 1 China and No. 3 France. The American women won the World Cup gold last summer in Switzerland and the Pan Am gold last month.
Team USA won the first 3×3 women’s Olympic gold in 2021 in Tokyo.
USA Basketball is the first federation to qualify both men’s and women’s 3×3 and 5×5 teams for the Paris Olympics. The men’s 5×5 national team earned a spot last summer by finishing fourth at the World Cup in Manila. The women qualified by winning the World Cup in 2022 in Sydney. Both teams won gold in 2021.
“USA Basketball is extremely proud to qualify four basketball teams for Paris 2024,” USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said in a statement. “We look forward to watching all teams compete at the highest level with the goal of winning four Olympic gold medals.”
The 3-on-3 game has a four-person roster and is played on a half court with a 12-second shot clock with nearly continuous play. Baskets are worth one or two points, and the winner is either the first team to 21 points or the leader when the 10-minute clock expires.
“People are starting to understand a little bit about 3×3, what it is, and as they do, they’re like, ‘Oh, this is kind of a cool sport,'” Fredette said. “We’ve been trying to raise awareness, build a program and become the best in the world at it. We’re headed that direction, but we’re not there yet.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
