USA’s 3×3 basketball recently embarked on a flourishing path as it landed a splendid qualification for the 2024 Olympics. The monumental qualification for Paris witnessed the selection of both the men’s and the women’s teams this time. While the US has secured its Paris spot, the players are now forced into a battle royale to make it to the Olympic team.

Qualifying for the grandest stage in the sporting world is a Herculean task, even for the best players. Addressing their struggles, the 3×3 basketball players of the US recently spoke up about their Olympic team journey. A social media post highlighted the personal experiences of these players as they got real about the competition.

USA’s 3×3 Basketball stars speak up about making it to Paris

USA Basketball 3×3 recently tweeted a video on its official X account that captured several established ballers mentioning their selection woes. The tweet carried the caption, “Anyone who says it’s simple & easy — they’re lying. Tens of rosters. Hundreds of events. All over the world. If you think the 10-minute sprint is a beast, qualifying for the Olympics is a whole different animal.” 

The first player in the video was America’s points machine, Jimmer Fredette. According to Fredette, “USA Basketball did find the right guys to put together to put our best foot forward. I was grateful that they put me on the team and as someone who had really no experience.” Fredette recently ended America’s four-year world tour title drought and also played a pivotal role in winning the Pan Am Games in Santiago. 

While Fredette is quite new to the 3×3 format, even FIBA 3×3 Basketball World Cup Champions faced the heat of the competition. Two-time women’s World Cup gold medalist Cierra Burdick revealed, “You have a pool of players eligible and you come out and you formally have to have a training camp, have a tryout. And then a selection committee selects the best players that they think will go out and take care of business.” 

A US 3×3 basketball coach revealed the reason behind such a large pool of candidates. In fact, he also mentioned that players go through 100 tournaments to make the cut for the Olympics.

The cut-throat competition in a powerhouse nation

The video also captured the words of a coach who spilled some details about the intense selection procedure. He said, “21 official teams that play or will have played in close to 100 events throughout the season. Some of those events are league stops, some of those are tour stops. Some of them are the World Cup, for example.” 

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These 21 official teams have players of all ages and play styles in the large selection pool. In fact, according to 2023 World Champion Hailey Van Lith, the tryouts mark the presence of both newbies and veteran 3×3 basketball stars.

While the players feel the full force of the selection process, it is also what churns out the best team for the Olympics. As America trains rigorously for Paris, will it be able to secure the gold medal in 2024?

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