I'm Having a Bad Dream Team

Day 8: Team USA 3x3 Basketball is Living a Nightmare

Aug 02, 2024

What do Lebron James, Brittney Griner, Canyon Barry, and Cierra Burdick have in common? They all played half-court 3x3 basketball at some point in their lives. But Barry and Burdick still play, for Team USA in Paris.

A player in a red jersey dunks over a player in a white jersey. — *(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)*

Making its second Olympic appearance after debuting at Tokyo 2020, 3x3 Basketball is high-paced and all action. Games are only 10 minutes long (or first to 21) and teams have only 4 players (and no on-court coach). If you haven’t been watching any, you are missing out. Yet with America’s men 0-4 at the bottom of the 8-team table and the women only barely better at 1-3, you can’t be blamed for tuning out.

3x3 Basketball is the faster, scrappier version the game America has dominated globally for decades, so why are both of USA’s teams doing so poorly in Paris?

It mostly comes down to the rosters. Olympic rules preclude NBA players, since they don’t play in regular 3x3 events. So while the 5x5 team features 11 NBA All-Stars (sorry, Derrick White), the 3x3 team stars 2010s journeyman Jimmer Fredette and Rick Barry’s son. Things are better on the women’s side with two multi-time WNBA All-Stars and one of the biggest names in women’s college basketball. (And they could have been even better.)

Add in the fact that a 3x3 team only has four players on the roster - so when one goes down with an injury that means everyone else plays every second, plus the sport’s youth has driven massive global growth - further diminishing America’s professional advantage. So catch the USA 3x3 Basketball teams while you can, because it doesn’t look like they are busting the bracket in Paris.

What To Watch Today

(All times Eastern. Full event relays available on-demand on Peacock)

Your one and only chance to see Trampoline, hopefully we finally get some Sailing medal races, it’s the last day of the individual Judo competition, and the Athletics meet gets going with several events on the Track and the Field. 25 Golds are available.

3:00 am - Golf: Men's Round 2 🇺🇸
3:30 am - Shooting: 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women's Final 🇺🇸 🥇
4:05 am - Athletics: Men’s Decathlon 100m, Long Jump, and Shot Put; Women’s 100m Round 1; Men’s 1500m Round 1 🇺🇸
4:42 am - Rowing: Men's and Women’s Pair and LWT Double Sculls Finals 🥇🥇🥇🥇
5:00 am - Diving: Men's Synchronised 3m Springboard Final 🇺🇸 🥇
7:30 am - Tennis: Men's Doubles Semi-Final, Fritz/Paul vs Ebden/Peers 🇺🇸
6:13 am - Sailing: Women's and Men’s Skiff Medal Races (rescheduled) 🥇🥇
7:00 am - 3v3 Basketball: Women’s Pool Round, USA vs France 🇺🇸
7:30 am - Tennis: Men's Doubles Semi-Final, Fritz/Paul vs Ebden/Peers, Men’s Single Semi-Finals, Women’s Bronze Medal Match 🇺🇸
7:50 am - Trampoline: Women's Final 🥇
8:00 am - Equestrian: Jumping Team Final 🥇
8:03 am - Sailing: Women's and Men’s Windsurfing Quarters, Semis, and Finals 🥇🥇
9:00 am - Badminton: Mixed Doubles Finals 🥇
9:00 am - Soccer: Men’s Quarterfinal, USA vs Morocco 🇺🇸
10:00 am – Judo: Women’s >78kg and Men’s >100kg 🥇🥇
10:24 am - Archery: Mixed Team Medal Matches 🇺🇸 🥇
12:00 pm - Athletics: Men’s Decathlon High Jump and 400m, Women’s 800m and 5000m Round 1, 4x400m Mixed Relay Round 1, Men’s 10,000m Final 🇺🇸 🥇
12:00 pm - 3v3 Basketball: Women’s Pool Round, USA vs Canada 🇺🇸
12:30 pm - Water Polo: Women’s Preliminary Round, USA vs France 🇺🇸
12:35 pm - 3v3 Basketball: Men’s Pool Round, USA vs France 🇺🇸
1:00 pm - Tennis: Men’s Singles Semi-Finals, Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match 🥇
1:30 pm - Fencing: Men's Épée Team Medal Matches 🥇
1:50 pm - Trampoline: Men’s Final 🥇
2:00 pm - BMX Racing: Men’s and Women’s Semifinals and Medal Races 🇺🇸 🥇🥇
2:30 pm - Swimming: Men's 50m Freestyle, Women's 200m Backstroke, and Men's 200m IM Finals; Men's 100m Butterfly and Women's 200m IM Semifinals 🇺🇸 🥇🥇🥇
4:35 pm - 3v3 Basketball: Men’s Pool Round, USA vs China 🇺🇸