The fourth-annual FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup tips off Thursday in Puerto Rico, with 2022 winners Canada and three-time silver medalists Brazil aiming to dethrone defending three-time champs Team USA.
The US is led by three WNBA standouts. Veteran Mystics guard Brittney Sykes's 12.2 points per game was second on Washington's 2024 roster, while Sparks forward Azurá Stevens is strong on both ends of the court as LA's best three-point shooter also boasts the team's second-best rebound rate.
Meanwhile, Dallas Wings forward Maddy Siegrist is coming off a shooting hot streak, sinking over 50% from the field in her second WNBA season.
Former record-breaking Ivy League sharpshooter Abbey Hsu rounds out Team USA's roster, with the Belgian league rookie earning the spot over nine WNBA players.
The road to the 3×3 podium
Fifteen teams traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, but only 12 will compete in the tournament's main draw. Thursday's court is reserved for the four teams vying to qualify, with either Guatemala, Cuba, Costa Rica, or the Cayman Islands surviving.
With the 12 tournament teams split into four groups of three, pool play takes over on Friday and Saturday. Pools B (Canada, Mexico, and Jamaica) and D (Puerto Rico, Argentina, and the final qualifying team) will play their round-robin round on Friday. Then, Pools A (USA, Uruguay, and the Dominican Republic) and C (Chile, Brazil, and Colombia) will do the same on Saturday.
The top two teams from each pool will advance to Sunday's knockout rounds. All elimination games will feature on Sunday's court, including the quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place game, and championship showdown.
How to watch Team USA in the 2024 FIBA 3×3AmeriCup
The tournament tips off at 12:30 PM ET on Thursday, but Team USA doesn't feature until Saturday, when they face the Dominican Republic at 3:30 PM ET before taking on Uruguay at 6:35 PM ET.
All FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup games — including Sunday's 8 PM ET championship — will stream live on YouTube.
USA Basketball's Olympic 5×5 team cruised into the quarterfinals over the weekend, racking up three big pool play wins to enter the knockout rounds in first place. With players like Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson leading the way, the US earned wins over Japan, Belgium, and Germany.
Further cementing their dominance over the field, the US finished pool play up 58 points after three games — a massive stat in a tournament where point differential is a key tiebreaker.
Path to eighth-straight Olympic gold takes shape
With their 58-game Olympic winning streak comfortably intact, Team USA moves on to the win-or-go-home quarterfinals. The seven-time gold medalists will take on Nigeria — the first African country to ever make it to the knockout rounds of an Olympic basketball tournament — on Wednesday at 3:30 PM ET, with live coverage across NBC networks.
Should the US advance, they'll face the winner of Serbia vs. Australia, whose Opals saved their Olympic campaign with Sunday's win over host nation France.
The other quarterfinal matchups are also set, with Spain playing Belgium and France taking on Germany.
Team USA's 3×3 squad rallies to capture Olympic bronze
After kicking things off 0-3, the US 3×3 team's five game winning streak carried them all the way the medal rounds.
The quartet fell 18-16 in overtime to eventual silver medalists Spain in Monday's semifinal, ending their chances of defending their Tokyo gold medal. Hours later, the US regrouped to win their bronze medal match over Canada behind Hailey Van Lith’s team-leading six points, with Germany later taking gold.
"We could have just laid down and not even been competing this far, but we stayed together, we stayed the course, and we made [a medal] happen from very little," said Team USA's Rhyne Howard on Monday.
After a number of days of pool play, USA Basketball's 5×5 and 3×3 teams find themselves on very different trajectories at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Team USA 5×5 is rolling, notching two wins in two games including a 87-74 win over medal contenders Belgium. But the 3×3 team has struggled early, beginning pool play 0-3 before rattling off three straight wins to earn a 3-3 record.
Chemistry remains key for both US basketball teams
Both teams are still trying to find their Olympic footing, with each squad having had very little practice time as a unit before shipping off to France.
The 3×3 team has been further affected by injury, with LA Sparks rookie Cam Brink tearing her ACL in June and Atlanta's Rhyne Howard sidelined with an ankle injury for a number of weeks leading up to the Olympics. Tasked with defending the Tokyo gold medal, the team's relative inexperience with 3×3 and lack of cohesion has shown, as the US fell to Germany, Azerbaijan, and Australia before grabbing their first win.
While the US 5×5 squad are also still building chemistry, they have performed well ahead of the pack against Japan and Belgium.
They've already qualified for the quarterfinal round with one game left in pool play, led by the dynamic offense of Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson. Stewart led all scorers against Belgium with 26 points and seven rebounds, while Wilson added 23 points and 13 rebounds of her own.
What's next for Team USA basketball at the Olympics?
Team USA closes out 5×5 pool play against Germany this weekend, with eyes firmly on the prize as they look to continue an epic Olympic winning streak that dates back to 1992.
Despite the early losses, Team USA's 3×3 squad is bouncing back, going 2-0 on the day after a walk-off shot from behind the arc secured the overtime win over Canada.
Where to watch USA Basketball games at the Olympics
Team USA 3×3 tips off against France in their final pool play game at 1:05 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage on NBC networks.
Team USA 5×5 will face Germany at 11 AM ET on Sunday, with live coverage on NBC networks.
Today’s Olympic basketball tilt could be Team USA’s toughest yet, as the US faces a Belgian side they barely defeated less than six months ago.
Compared to Team USA’s Olympic dynasty, Paris is just the second Summer Games for seventh-place Tokyo finisher Belgium, with today marking their first time facing the eighth-straight gold medal-hunting USA on an Olympic court.
Team USA hopes to rewrite Olympic qualifier rematch
At February’s Olympic qualifiers, the US eked out a nail-biting 81-79 win over Belgium, needing a clutch Breanna Stewart buzzer beater to get the job done. The 2023 EuroBasket champions held the US to their tightest scoreline in years, draining 12 threes while Team USA went 4-for-19 — the same statline they posted against Japan on Monday.
Both teams were missing key players in that qualifying game, with stars A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray not available for the US and Belgium’s 6-foot-4 center Kyara Linskens out for the Cats.
Full rosters favor a USA victory
Even with both teams at full strength, Team USA is still the heavy favorite.
To hand the US their first Olympic loss since 1992, Belgium will have to lean on their WNBA vets: current Mystics guard Julie Vanloo and 2019 WNBA Finals MVP center Emma Meesseman. The pair led the Cats with a combined 43 points in Belgium’s opening loss to Germany, a team the US humbled in their final pre-Olympic tune-up.
"It’s going to be a great game," Team USA’s Napheesa Collier said of Belgium. "They’re a really good team. So I think it’s going to be a battle."
Where to watch USA Women's Basketball vs. Belgium
Team USA meets Belgium this afternoon at 3 PM ET, with live coverage across NBC networks.
Team USA's 3×3 gold medal repeat dreams dim
Unlike their 5x5 counterparts, it’s been a very different tournament for Team USA’s defending gold medalist 3×3 squad. Beleaguered by injury, they have yet to secure a single win, falling 17-13 to Germany on Tuesday, 20-17 to Azerbaijan on Wednesday, and 17-15 to Australia this morning.
The struggling US will now take on Spain, hoping to finally find their footing against the first-place Spanish side.
Where to watch USA Women's Basketball 3×3 vs. Spain
Team USA 3×3 plays Spain this afternoon at 3:30 PM ET, with live coverage across NBC networks.
While the 2024 All-Star Game doesn't tip off until Saturday, this year's WNBA Skills Challenge and STARRY 3-Point Contest promise to light up Phoenix's Footprint Center on Friday.
The evening's programming will allow fans to watch as towering center Brittney Griner shows off her speed and mobility before putting 2024's most statistically excellent three-point shooters to the test.
In addition to the two annual events, the night will also showcase the first-ever WNBA All-Star 3×3 Exhibition, with the Olympic-bound 3×3 National Team taking on USA Basketball's 3×3 U23 National Team.
To make things even more interesting, Aflac has promised to supplement the Skills Competition and 3-Point Contest's prize pool with a $55,000 bonus for each winner.
Skills Challenge highlights league's best
Perhaps the least straightforward event in Friday's series, the Skills Challenge — in which five players will compete in a timed obstacle course testing their dribbling, passing, speed, and shooting abilities —should come down to the wire. Each contestant will attempt to complete the course as quickly as possible, with the two fastest first-round players advancing to a head-to-head final.
Ten-time WNBA All-Star Griner (Phoenix) headlines the Skills Challenge roster, accompanied by Mercury teammate Sophie Cunningham as well as Allisha Gray (Atlanta), 2019 WNBA All-Star MVP Erica Wheeler (Indiana), and newly acquired Connecticut guard Marina Mabrey.
Mabrey will be competing in both the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest, taking the court for the first time since her requested trade from Chicago sent her the Sun.
Top shooters put their skills on display
Despite Sabrina Ionescu and Caitlin Clark reportedly declining to participate, some of the WNBA's best shooters will be on display in tonight's STARRY 3-Point Contest. Shooters will tally up points from five set shooting locations around the arc plus two additional "Starry Range" deep shots worth three points each.
2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones (New York) will enter a battle of the bigs with Washington's Stefanie Dolson, who sits second in the league in three-point field goal percentage this season with 48.5%.
But Jones and Dolson will face stiff competition from Kayla McBride (Minnesota), who leads the league in three-pointers made, as well as the aforementioned Gray and Mabrey.
WNBA All-Star Weekend adds 3×3 Exhibition to the mix
Tonight’s debut 3×3 Exhibition will serve as a warmup for Team USA's Rhyne Howard (Atlanta), former WNBA player Cierra Burdick, college star Hailey Van Lith (TCU), and Dearica Hamby (Los Angeles), who came on to replace Sparks teammate Cameron Brink after her season-ending ACL tear.
The Olympians' U-23 opposition is also gearing up for a major event, with collegiate squad members Christina Dalce (Maryland), Morgan Maly (Creighton), Cotie McMahon (Ohio State), Lucy Olsen (Iowa), Mikaylah Williams (LSU), and Serah Williams (Wisconsin) set to play in the 2024 FIBA 3x3 Nations League tournament in Mexico City starting July 22nd.
Where to watch the WNBA Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest
All three events will air on ESPN starting at 9 PM ET on Friday, July 19th.
Dearica Hamby has been named to USA Basketball's official 3×3 Olympic roster, replacing an injured Cameron Brink.
The Los Angeles Sparks forward has extensive experience with the 3×3 team, including taking home both a gold medal and MVP honors at the 2023 FIBA AmeriCup.
Brink originally made the roster in early June, but suffered a season-ending ACL injury during Los Angeles’s June 18th loss to Connecticut.
"It is an honor to announce Dearica Hamby's addition to the USA 3×3 women's national team and we look forward to getting to work as a squad very soon," USA Basketball 3×3 national team director Jay Demings said in a statement. "USA Basketball continues to keep Cameron Brink in our thoughts as she focuses on her recovery."
Hamby will join 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup champions Hailey Van Lith (TCU), CIerra Burdick, and Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream) in Paris.
Sparks rookie Cameron Brink will miss the remainder of the WNBA season after suffering a torn ACL in her left knee during Tuesday’s game against Connecticut.
Brink will also miss the Paris Olympics after having been named to the USA Basketball's 3×3 Olympic roster earlier this month.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Brink started in all 15 games for the Sparks this season. She entered Tuesday averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks, while her blocks ranked her third in the league behind Seattle's Ezi Magbegor and Las Vegas's A’ja Wilson.
During Tuesday’s game, Brink appeared to slip on the hardwood while driving to the basket. After standing up with assistance, she then had to be helped off the court before being carried back to the locker room.
"You never think it will happen to you," Brink wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday. "And despite all the hard work sometimes it does. This is hard to fathom but I know it will only make me stronger. I will not be derailed and I will continue to love this life — I'm not defined by basketball, but it is something that I love deeply and I will work everyday to get back to it. It's not goodbye basketball it's just a see you later. I'm always so thankful for your thoughts and prayers."
In a statement, USA Basketball wished Brink a "speedy recovery" and noted that they will be looking for someone to fill her spot on the 3×3 team. Brink's 3×3 teammate Rhyne Howard also took a knock on Wednesday, although the severity of that injury has yet to be announced.
After the confirmation, Brink's fellow rookies took to social media to offer up words of support, with Angel Reese writing “\"prayers for my sweet girl!" Aaliyah Edwards also sent prayers, as well as "positive thoughts your way, Cam."
"It just breaks your heart," Caitlin Clark told reporters Wednesday.
"You don’t want to see anybody deal with any sort of injury, obviously an injury of that magnitude," she continued. "I know she’s the type of person that will be able to get through it and come through it stronger."
USA Basketball released its official 3×3 Olympic roster on Wednesday, naming some familiar faces to the four-player team.
2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup champs Cameron Brink, Cierra Burdick, and Hailey Van Lith were all named to the squad alongside 2022 No. 1 draft pick Rhyne Howard. Brink was named MVP of the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup, while Burdick also won gold at the 2014 World Championship for 3×3.
Brink is a rookie in the WNBA this season, going No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks. Van Lith, meanwhile, will finish her college career at TCU this upcoming season.
"It is an honor to announce the USA Basketball 3×3 Women's National Team," Jay Demings, USA Basketball 3×3 national team director and member of the USA Basketball 3×3 women's selection committee said in a statement. "It is an exciting process to put a roster together that will represent the country on a global stage. We are thankful for all the athletes who attended training camps or participated in 3×3 competitions on the journey to Paris 2024."
2011 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year and current WNBA Connecticut Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti will be the team’s head coach, while University of Rhode Island coach Tammi Reiss will be her assistant.
The sport was first introduced at the 2020 Tokyo Games, with the WNBA’s Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young all taking home the inaugural gold medal.
Other qualified teams for the women's Olympic 3×3 competition include China, France, Azerbaijan, Australia, Germany, Spain, and Canada. Team USA is currently ranked second in the world behind China.
The U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team won gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup on Sunday, and the celebrations included spraying head coach Jennifer Rizzotti with champagne.
LSU star transfer Hailey Van Lith was the one to deliver the shower, following it up by grabbing a second bottle of champagne. Rizzotti, who’s also the president of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, ended the celebration soaked and in need of a new shirt.
Rizzotti later responded to the video on Twitter, noting that it was “worth every drop, even in my eyes.”
“But you know what they say about payback @haileyvanlith so watch your back,” she continued.
Worth every drop, even in my eyes....but you know what they say about payback @haileyvanlith so watch your back 🤣🇺🇸🥇🍾 https://t.co/1R5VYohjeu
— Jennifer Rizzotti (@JenRizzotti) June 6, 2023
The gold medal was the U.S. women’s third in the 3×3 World Cup and first since 2014. Stanford forward Cameron Brink was named MVP of the tournament after the U.S. defeated France 16-12 in the final.
Rizzotti led a team made up of the two NCAA stars alongside 3×3 veterans Cierra Burdick and Linnae Harper.
WORLD CHAMPS 🏆🥳 pic.twitter.com/7lr4Enrmqx
— USA Basketball 3x3 (@usab3x3) June 4, 2023
The U.S. women won the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup on Sunday, defeating France 16-12 in the gold medal game. It is the U.S. women’s third 3×3 title, but first since 2014.
The U.S. squad was made up of two current NCAA players in LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith and Stanford’s Cameron Brink, plus two longtime 3×3 veterans in Cierra Burdick and Linnae Harper. Burdick, who graduated from Tennessee in 2015 and has played stints with a multiple WNBA teams, was also a member of the U.S. team that won 3×3 gold in 2014.
The Americans went 7-1 during the tournament, losing only to Canada during the first game of group play.
In the gold medal game, Burdick and Van Lith each recorded seven points and six rebounds. Brink, competing in her first ever 3×3 competition, was named tournament MVP after amassing 39 points and 45 rebounds in eight games.
Thanks to the top-four finish, the U.S. women also qualified for the 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will be held in early 2024 ahead of the Paris Olympics. It is also possible the U.S. won’t need to attend that tournament if its 3×3 world ranking improves between now and November, when the top three nations will earn automatic Olympic berths (the U.S. is currently ranked fourth).
The U.S. women won gold in the Olympic debut of 3×3 basketball in 2021 with a roster of WNBA standouts: Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.
Watch how @usab3x3 🇺🇸defeated France to claim their 3rd #3x3WC pic.twitter.com/kqgzOtloPT
— FIBA3x3 (@FIBA3x3) June 4, 2023