3x3 basketball will once again make its way to the Olympics with the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. This will be the second time 3x3 basketball will take place on an Olympic stage, and here's everything you need to know about the sport.
For Team USA, the 2024 men's team is comprised of BYU legend Jimmer Fredette, Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis. The women's side will be made up of two current WNBA players -- Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard and Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink -- as well as TCU guard Hailey Van Lith and former WNBA forward Cierra Burdick. USA Basketball veteran Joe Lewandowski will lead the men's side, while the women will be coached by Jennifer Rizzotti of the Connecticut Sun.
Unlike traditional 5x5 hoops, 3x3 is played in a half-court setting, an 11x15-meter area where teams score on and defend the same basket. The game begins with a coin toss, where the winner decides whether they want to start on offense or defense.
Instead of 2s and 3s, players score one and two-point baskets, and the ball always goes back to the other team regardless of a make or miss. After a rebound, players must pass the ball out to the perimeter before taking a shot. And unlike the traditional 24-second shot clock, 3x3 players only have 12 seconds to shoot. Both sides are also allowed to have one substitute player, who can enter in dead-ball situations by tagging a teammate.
The first team to reach 21 points wins. If no one gets to 21 by the time the ten minutes are over, the team with more points is victorious.
As for overtime? The defensive team gets to start with the ball, and the first to score two more points wins. 21 is the magic number in 3x3 basketball.
After successful stints with several Youth Olympics Games -- dating back to Singapore in 2010 -- 3x3 basketball became an Olympic sport in 2017, with its debut coming at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. That year, Latvia's men's team and the U.S. women's team claimed gold, with Latvia beating Serbia, 21-18, and Team USA defeating China, 18-15.
This time around, the women's side will hope to win gold again while the men's team makes its Olympic debut in Paris.
