Explainer | Paris Olympics: all you need to know about the 3X3 basketball competition

Another basketball competition for the US men and women to sweep, perhaps, but Serbia will fancy their chances of beating the former.

Athletes to watch

Jimmer Fredette, United States: The 35-year-old Fredette, who became a superstar at Brigham Young University and was the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, headlines the American men’s team. He began playing 3X3 in 2022 and was named USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year in 2023.

Canyon Barry, US: The son of Hall of Famer Rick Berry played at the College of Charleston and Florida. He was the 2017 Academic All-American of the Year and has a bachelor’s degree in physics and master’s degree in nuclear engineering. He is known for his unorthodox underhand free-throw shooting, which helped him shoot 88.3 per cent from the line as a senior.

Strahinja Stojacic, Serbia: Stojacic started playing 3X3 full time in 2018 and has been ranked as the world’s top player for most of the past two seasons. The son of a professional basketball player, Stojacic is known for his epic dunks and is nicknamed “Doctor Strange”.

Hailey Van Lith, US: Van Lith is another contender for the US roster after also helping the team win gold at the 2023 Fiba World Cup. Van Lith, who plays at Texas Christian University, was named MVP of the 2019 Fiba 3X3 Under-18 World Cup after leading the team to a gold medal.

Storylines to follow

First-time favourites The US men’s team will compete in the event for the first time after failing to qualify in the inaugural contest in Tokyo. The addition of Fredette has vaulted the team to gold medal contenders this time around after the USA won silver at the 2023 Fiba World Cup and gold at both the 2022 Fiba AmeriCup in Miami and the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago.

US women return strong: The US will include two two-time WNBA All-Stars in Rhyne Howard and Dearica Hamby as they seek to defend their gold medal. In all, the team features two current WNBA players (Howard, Hamby), one collegiate star (Van Lith), and one 3x3 veteran (Cierra Burdick). WNBA rookie Cameron Brink was originally named to the squad but tore her ACL in June and was replaced by Hamby.

Serbia contenders: Serbia are ranked No 1 in the world and are expected to contend with the US for gold after winning bronze in Tokyo. Led by Stojacic, Serbia beat Team USA 21-19 to win the last World Cup.

Key dates

Pool play runs from July 30 to August 4. Semi-finals and medal games are on August 5.

Reigning champions

Women: United States