It didn’t take long for the U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team to establish itself as one of the sport’s powers.
It won the first gold medal ever awarded in Olympic competition at the 2020 Tokyo Games and secured gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. But because of the different nature of 3×3, including the pace and length of games, it doesn’t mean the U.S. women win every game like their 5×5 counterparts.
They lost one game during round-robin play in Tokyo and lost a game in group play at the World Cup last year. However, in the knockout stage, the U.S. did not lose in those two events, and they are a strong medal favorite at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
When did 3×3 women’s basketball become an Olympic sport?
3×3 basketball debuted at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for men and women. FIBA made a push to get the sport into the 2016 Rio Olympics but was denied in 2013. Four years later, it was approved.
At the Tokyo Games, the U.S. won gold, a Russian team took silver and China earned bronze on the women’s side.
How does Olympic women’s 3×3 basketball work?
The game is played on a half court with one basket. It’s a 10-minute game or first to 21 points with no halftime and no quarters, and there is a 12-second shot clock. A made shot inside the 3-point arc counts as one point and a made shot outside the 3-point line counts as two points. A made free throw is worth one point, and fouls are called by a referee.
Team fouls Nos. 7-10 are penalized with two free throws, and team foul No. 10 and beyond are penalized with two free throws and possession.
If tied after 10 minutes, there is overtime, and the first team to score two points in overtime wins.
Following a made shot, possession changes from the scoring team to the non-scoring team. Following a missed shot, if an offensive player rebounds the ball, they may continue to attempt to score without returning the ball behind the 3-point line, according to FIBA rules. If a defensive player rebounds the ball, they must return the ball behind the arc by passing or dribbling.
Each team has four players – three on the court plus a reserve.
In the Olympics, eight teams qualify and play each other in a round-robin format. The top two teams advance to the semifinals and the next four teams play for a spot in the semifinals – third place vs. sixth place and fourth place vs. fifth place. Classification is determined by total wins followed by head-to-head record and points scored.
Who are the top Team USA athletes in women’s 3×3 basketball?
Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard, Hailey Van Lith and Dearica Hamby comprise the women’s team in Paris. Hamby replaced Los Angeles Sparks teammate Cameron Brink on the 3×3 team after the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft suffered a torn ACL on June 18. Brink, Van Lith and Burdick won gold for the U.S. at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup.
Howard, a two-time All-Star and the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, and Hamby, a two-time All-Star and two-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, are the two WNBA players on the team. Burdick had a five-year WNBA career and plays professionally overseas. Van Lith, who began her collegiate career at Louisville, has one more year of NCAA eligibility remaining and will play for TCU in 2024-25 after transferring from LSU.
What’s the international landscape in Olympic women’s 3×3 basketball?
China is ranked No. 1 in the world, per FIBA rankings, followed by the U.S., France, Germany, Canada, Spain Hungary, Netherlands Lithuania and Japan.
Team USA, China, France, Azerbaijan, Australia, Germany, Spain and Canada qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Women’s 3×3 basketball at Paris Olympics: How it works, what to know
