Women’s 3x3 basketball makes its second Olympic appearance in Paris after debuting in Tokyo and the United States are the defending champs. The U.S. also captured the 2023 FIBA World Cup title, beating France in the title game.
The Americans look to have another strong contingent, although Los Angeles Sparks rookie forward Cameron Brink will miss the Games after tearing an ACL.
Dearica Hamby, Brink’s Sparks teammate, was named as her replacement. Hamby is amid a career year in her 10th WNBA season, with personal bests in points (19.4) and rebounds (10.0) per game at the Olympic break. Rhyne Howard is the other current WNBA player on the squad. Howard has been an All-Star selection in each of her first two seasons in the league.
Cierra Burdick is the veteran of this squad, boasting two 3x3 World Cup titles with the U.S. — one in 2014, the other last year. The 30-year-old Burdick played collegiately at the University of Tennessee and spent parts of five seasons in the WNBA.
Hailey Van Lith also helped the U.S. win gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Van Lith, who plays at TCU, was named MVP of the 2019 FIBA 3X3 Under-18 World Cup after leading the team to a gold medal.
The seeds are China, and the USA followed by France, Germany, Canada, Spain, Azerbaijan and Australia. The U.S.
China will be the most experienced team with three players having participated in Tokyo. Lili Wang, ZhiTing Zhang and Ji Yuan Wan were at the core of China’s stunning run in Tokyo capped by an upset of France in a thriller to claim bronze. Wang has made a successful return after suffering a knee injury last year.
The homestanding French women will home having the crowd behind them will help push them across the finish line with superstar Laetitia Guapo leading the way.
The Germans, who will face the Americans in the first game on Tuesday, boasts one of the best players in the world, 6-foot-3 Sonja Greinacher. She poured in 34 points to help them clinch a spot in Paris.
Canada brings possibly the best frontcourt to the tournament, headed by the Plouffe sisters, Michelle and Katherine, both clocking in at 6-3.
The Australians are bringing the best form to the tournament, having won each of the four events they participated in this year. Marena Whittle, Anneli Maley and Alex Wilson are athletic two-way players, while Lauren Mansfield is a slick shooter and brilliant ball-handler.
If you're looking for a live underdog, you will most probably land on Azerbaijan. They are playing in their first Olympics and will be playing with an abandon that may surprise a few teams. Tiffany Hayes and Alexandra Mollenhauer led them in qualifications, playing with the type of swagger that typifies this emerging 3x3 force.
The competition will be held at La Concorde, an urban, upbeat venue where skateboarding, BMX Freestyle and breaking will also be held. The gold medal contest will be on Aug. 5th.