As terrible at the 3×3 format as it is in dominating 5×5, Team USA men’s basketball surely has challenges. The team ending their 2024 Olympic run with a 2-5 record in the group stage exposed their plight. While there could be an easy blame game in the face of loss, Udonis Haslem has what can be a potential solution.

During a discussion on his The OGs podcast, the ex-Miami Heat star suggested how Ice Cube’s Big3 league could help with Team USA’s aspirations in the 3×3 format. “We got a couple guys that be playing in them Big3s that could get their a** out there on that Olympics for sure… I ain’t on the Olympic committee. But there’s a couple guys in the Big3 that can help us… Can help us win that,” he said. Joe Johnson, Michael Beasley, and Gerald Green are some of the players on top of Udonis Haslem’s mind as he speaks.

The interesting part is that even Johnson recently agreed on playing in the Olympics. This came after Team USA’s embarrassing run at the 3×3 men’s basketball event and a fan suggested Johnson among the players who should be on the team. “I’ll 4sho! Play…” the former Brooklyn Nets star nodded in his IG story.

Notably, Johnson is quite known for his proficiency in 1-on-1 scenarios, earning him the name ISO Joe. And he has gained significant experience in the format, playing in Ice Cube’s league.

No wonder that even Cube himself holds immense faith in his star players. To the extent that he issued a challenge to a team that would win gold at the Olympics after Team USA was ousted. “They got their a** kicked. They need our players, without a doubt. The whole world can see that,” the rapper had said.

But then why is it that the Big3 players have not represented Team USA in the 3×3 format so far?

Why can’t the Big3 league players play in the Olympics?

As most basketball enthusiasts would know, the international governing body for basketball, FIBA, has its own set of requirements that the players need to meet to appear in international events. The first is that 2 of the 4 players on the roster should hold a rank among the country’s top 10 players. Meanwhile, the other two players should hold a rank among the country’s top 50 players.

But how are the rankings of these players determined, you ask? Well, for this, the players have to compete in sanctioned 3×3 events to earn points which determine their ranking. Now, the problem is that Ice Cube’s Big3 league does not come under the aforementioned sanctioned 3×3 events.

A popular opinion is that FIBA does so to ensure a level playing field. Apparently, the federation does not want a one-sided domination in the 3×3 format just like the 5×5, which features stars from the NBA. So Udonis Haslem may as well be right in his opinion that Big3 players could help Team USA. They just need to make it to the sanctioned events.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.