USA’s 3×3 Hoops Struggles Highlight Talent Gap, Recruitment Issues

Since the Olympics first allowed professional basketball players to participate in 1992, the U.S. has lost a total of five 5-on-5 games—four for the men, and one for the women.

But in 2020, the Olympics introduced the new basketball format 3×3, in which the U.S. is nowhere near as good. In Paris, the U.S. men’s and women’s 3×3 basketball teams have already combined for seven losses in eight games.

It’s important to note 3×3 is not the same as 5-on-5 basketball. It is a half-court, 3-on-3 game where the usual two-point shot is worth one point and a three-pointer is worth two. The game flows at a much faster pace than full-court basketball, as it runs for only 10 minutes—or until one team scores 21 points—and the shot clock is 12 seconds. 

What’s the Issue? 

In the brief history of 3×3, the U.S. has actually fared well. The women won gold at the Tokyo Olympics and the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2023. The men failed to qualify for Tokyo, but they entered Paris as the second-ranked nation behind Serbia.

But both rosters have nowhere near the talent as their 5-on-5 counterparts.

There are two multiple-time WNBA All-Stars on the women’s team—Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard—and the women lack some continuity after an ACL tear to L.A. Sparks forward Cameron Brink forced them to call up Hamby.

But the team’s other two players include college player Hailey Van Lith (above) and Cierra Burdick, a five-year WNBA veteran who hasn’t played in the league since 2021.

The men have just one player with NBA experience, Jimmer Fredette, who is 35 and hasn’t played in the NBA since 2019, while no one else on the roster—Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox, and Dylan Travis—was close to making an NBA roster.

Recruitment Challenges 

Recruiting for 3×3 isn’t as simple as in 5-on-5. Several requirements make it harder to convince professional players who would risk their health for a payout that isn’t close to what they receive in the pros. But there are a pair of leagues—Unrivaled and Big3—that are embracing 3×3, albeit with modified formats, that could boost USA Basketball.

Unrivaled is a women’s basketball league launching in January founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, two of USA Basketball’s 5-on-5 stars. The league is expected to field many of the WNBA’s best, including Kahleah Copper and Kelsey Plum, who are also on the 5-on-5 roster.

Big3 does not feature current NBA stars, but it rosters former NBA players similar to Fredette. Considering he is still the top-ranked player in the world in 3×3, ex-NBA players should be the target market for the men’s team.

Sources tell Front Office Sports there have been no discussions between USA Basketball and Unrivaled. As for Big3, sources tell FOS that USA Basketball does not consider the league in its recruitment process.

It’s wishful thinking to think the games of the two leagues would be sanctioned by FIBA, but the growth of these leagues, the talent pool, and the focus on a similar 3×3 format should at least be an option that USA Basketball can utilize.

With the way USA’s 3×3 teams have looked so far in Paris, changes certainly need to be made.