3x3 basketball will allow journeymen to win Olympic gold medal

As Team USA's men and women pursue their fifth and eighth consecutive gold medals, respectively, at the 2024 Paris Olympics , another set of hoopers representing the country will be gunning for gold.

For only the second time, 3x3 basketball will be an Olympic event, pitting eight countries against each other in men's and women's events. Four years ago at the inaugural men's 3x3 Olympic event, Latvia won gold after defeating Russia in the final, with Serbia capturing bronze over Belgium. Team USA did not qualify after losing to the Netherlands in the qualifiers ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Team USA appears razor-focused on righting those wrongs. On the road to the 2024 Paris Olympics, the country won gold at the 2023 Pan American Games and silver at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 World Cup, building continuity and rhythm with the same roster bound for France — Jimmer Fredette, Kareem Maddox, Canyon Barry and Dylan Travis.

Fredette — the world's No. 2-ranked 3x3 player behind Serbia's Strahinja Stojacic — reinvited his game in recent years to adapt to the 3x3 style and will be leading the charge for Team USA in Paris. The former collegiate scoring machine spent years in the Euroleague and China before becoming a specialist in the 3x3 game. Barry and Maddox are also ranked top-12 in the world by FIBA.

As for the women, Team USA will be represented by Cameron Brink, Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard and Hailey Van Lith. While none of the four were part of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics team that won gold, all have significant experience in 3x3 basketball. Only Howard wasn't part of the team that won the FIBA 3x3 World Cup last year. Brink, Burdick and Van Lith have a lot of chemistry playing together.

It's not a safe bet to pick the men's and women's teams to bag gold in Paris. For one, they're both ranked No. 2 by FIBA behind Serbia and China, respectively, and are not viewed as outright favorites. Furthermore, 3x3 basketball can be unpredictable and often sees smarts prevail over skills.

A gold medal would be a feather in the cap for journeymen hoopers (at least on the men's side).

The 3x3 game allows certain players who may have never represented the country in traditional basketball to call themselves Olympic medalists. Although the format will never garner the pedigree of 5x5 basketball, a gold medal will still count as a gold medal.

And it's cool for the athletes who get to climb a podium that once seemed like a pipe dream.