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Let’s take it back to where it all started. Before you learned to play in a full-court setting, you had to get comfortable navigating the half-court. It’s the essence of basketball. From quick pickup games at famous courts like Rucker Park to the shell drill that every formidable basketball team practices, 3×3 basketball is the foundation of the high-flying, up-and-down 5×5 game we’ve grown to love.
For the second time in Olympic history, 3×3 basketball will be in full swing as countries compete for a medal, and for the first time in Olympic history, USA Basketball will have a team competing on the men’s side.
After winning Gold at the 2023 Pan Am Games and making themselves known on the FIBA 3×3 World Tour circuit, the U.S. 3×3 Men’s National Team automatically qualified for a spot at this year’s Paris Games, entering the field as the No.2 seed.
The four-player squad assembled has been playing together for a few years now, and that chemistry will be vital for any success they’re hoping to achieve. But while chemistry and togetherness are keys to Gold, the squad will still need some strong individual performances. Let’s meet the men who make up the first USA 3×3 Men’s Olympic Team in USA Basketball history.
There’s nobody better to represent the United States in 3×3 basketball than Jimmer Fredette, one of the nation’s most outstanding college basketball players of all time. He’s a star. He’s box office, and if he’s on your team, you always have a shot at winning. Very few can compete with Jimmer when it comes to putting the ball in the basket. He can catch fire like no other, and his ability to get buckets in bunches will prove valuable in Paris. Name a BYU or Mountain West Conference scoring/shooting record, and there’s a good chance Jimmer holds it.
The former NCAA leading scorer and Player of the Year knows that nothing comes easily, although his natural knack for scoring might lead you to think otherwise. Jimmer took the college basketball world by storm when he went on his remarkable individual run at BYU back in 2011. He’ll look to galvanize the country again—this time in pursuit of an Olympic Gold medal and the first in U.S. men’s 3×3 history. Jimmer has earned two Gold medals and one Silver medal in his 3×3 FIBA career, which began in late 2022. This time around, one could argue the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been. If there’s anything you need to know about Jimmer, know this: If you need a bucket, all you have to do is say the word, and it’ll get done.
“Defense wins championships.” It’s one of the most used adages in the history of team sports. As basketball continues to lean more and more in favor of offense, having a lockdown defender at your disposal who can offset offensive firepower is as pivotal as ever. That’s what Kareem Maddox brings to USA Basketball’s 3×3 Men’s National Team this summer. The Princeton alum and former Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and All-Ivy League first-team selection (2011) is the squad’s anchor. Along with his defensive prowess, Maddox is a capable scorer with years of professional 3×3 experience, dating back to 2018 when he earned MVP at the USA Basketball 3×3 National Championship. Since then, he’s earned five Gold medals and one Silver during his FIBA 3×3 career.
It’s very hard—almost impossible—to win a Gold medal in 3×3 basketball without at least one sharpshooter on the team. Luckily for USA Basketball, shooting is Canyon Barry’s specialty. The 6-6, 215-pound guard is the son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry and is doing his part to carry on the Barry basketball tradition: winning. The younger Barry was a 1000-point scorer in college and averaged 20 points as a junior for Charleston before an injury cut his season short. He transferred to Florida the following season, where he earned 2017 SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors. Canyon is a steady guard who also brings experience to the table and a handful of hardware to show for it. He has four Gold medals and one Silver medal in FIBA 3×3 competition and earned the 2022 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup MVP. If this year’s 3×3 Men’s National Team has any chance of securing the Gold in Paris, Canyon is going to have to tap into the bag he was in when he helped lead the Florida Gators to the Elite Eight in 2017. And based on the strong performances he’s had on the FIBA 3×3 circuit, there’s no reason to doubt he’ll be ready for the moment when it comes.
The last member of the group is Dylan Travis, a graduate of Florida Southern College. Travis is the only player on the 3×3 Men’s National Team who didn’t play at the Division I level, but any real hooper or hoops fan knows how it goes—the best Division II players in the country can compete at any level. As a junior in 2015, Travis led his team to a Division II National Championship before he played professionally overseas for several season. In 2022, Travis made his USA Basketball 3×3 debut, where he instantly made his presence felt. He’s a sniper who can also get to the cup under pressure and cause fits for defenders. Thus far in his FIBA career, he has two Gold medals and one Silver. So far…
As the 2024 Games are set to begin, the U.S. has, for the first time, qualified four basketball teams for the Olympics. The newest team, the 3×3 Men’s squad, will no doubt shine as bright as the Olympic flame, right at home on the courts of Paris.
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Photos via Getty Images.
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