3x3 Athletes' Dreams Play out in Paris

PARIS — The 3x3 Olympic basketball format is the modern, edgy version of its traditional counterpart. Played in an outdoor stadium without coaches, and with a smaller basketball in order to make handling in tight spaces easier, the event captures the atmosphere of playground-magic, backyard, night-at-the-park basketball. The contests have the feel of pickup games. They’re played on a half-court and are complete with the constant commentary by loud personalities and background beats by live DJ’s.

A 12-second shot clock keeps the ball popping around, and players often have to improvise into creative shots before the clock expires. Forget celebrating a made basket, as opposing teams will grab the ball and return it outside the arc to start their attack before you blink.

Needless to say, it’s a stark contrast from the organized basketball that most USA stars are used to playing, but the format didn’t faze any of the American 3x3 players away from becoming Olympians. All of Team USA’s 3x3 players from both the men’s and the women’s squads are first-time Olympians making their mark in the modernized format of the sport.

The U.S. men and women are each winless in pool play after two games. The women lost 20-17 to Azerbaijan, who have the recently un-retired WNBA veteran, Tiffany Hayes, on their roster. The men lost 19-17 to Poland. Each team has five pool play games remaining. Six teams reach the knockout round.

For both teams, the pace of play requires a disciplined attention to detail. “You have to be more mentally and physically prepared,” women’s 3x3 athlete Hailey Van Lith said. “For the shot clock, you have to be able to make quick decisions while also keeping your mind intact.”

Van Lith started playing in the 3x3 format at just 15 years old, but never thought it would lead to a chance at the Olympics. She thought her shot would be in the traditional basketball format, but when the opportunity to play 3x3 arose, she couldn’t refuse.

“I definitely always envisioned myself being an Olympian,” Van Lith said. “...This has been kind of something that has just come out of nowhere and it's been such a big blessing for me…I've met so many amazing people. I've been to so many amazing places. And most importantly, I think it's helped me grow as a person and a player, and it's going to set me up for the rest of my career and the rest of the things that I want to do with my life.”

Men’s athlete Jimmer Fredette echoed Van Lith’s thoughts, and is carrying out a childhood dream on the 3x3 court in Paris.

“I love the Olympics and I respect it, I just never thought I would have a chance to play in it,” Fredette said. “And then obviously when this opportunity came up, I just was thrilled to have the opportunity to try to make it, and now that it's a reality, it's obviously a dream come true.”

Fredette helped guide the men’s 3x3 team to a gold medal at the Pan American Games Santiago 2023. After that experience, he knew he wanted to chase Olympic gold. His teammates Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox, and Dylan Travis have joined him in the pursuit.

“I went to my first tournament with these guys – Pan American Games – and had a great experience,”” Fredette said. “We were able to win that tournament, win gold, and that point, I was like, ‘Man, this is something I think I could be decent at. And I like playing with these guys.’ And so because of that, I was like ‘I'm going to go all in.’”

After missing out on qualifying for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the USA men’s 3x3 team has a shot at redemption in Paris. The women have a Tokyo 2020 gold medal to defend, despite being a completely different roster.

Van Lith, the youngest women’s 3x3 athlete at just 22 years old, will be a senior at Texas Christian University next year. She’s taking full advantage of the opportunity to play with professionals as part of this year’s women’s Olympic 3x3 team.

“I mean, it's a great opportunity for me to be around pros, to learn from pros,” Van Lith said. “...The Olympics and playing for team USA is like the ultimate experience and if they think I'm worthy to play for the national team, then that says a lot.”

She’ll play with teammates Cierra Burdick, Dearica Hamby, and Rhyne Howard as they pursue Olympic hardware of their own. Burdick, a 3x3 veteran of 10 years, sees her dedication to the sport pay off in the form of the Paris games.

“Our motto is just get better every single day,” Burdick said. “...I think our ceiling is really high…My experience will definitely help. My job is to make their jobs as easy as possible. I'm blessed to be up here with incredible athletes, incredible players. And they make my job easy.”

Madie Chandler is writing for Team USA as a graduate student in the Sports Capital Journalism Program at Indiana University Indianapolis.