COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Nov. 1, 2023) – FIBA announced today that USA Basketball has qualified men’s and women’s 3x3 teams for the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris. In each category, the United States is one of three countries that has qualified for the Paris 2024 Games based on FIBA 3x3 world ranking as of Oct. 31, 2023, and will bypass next year’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. The American women will look to defend their Olympic gold medal, after winning the first ever 3x3 Olympics competition in 2021, while the men will make their 3x3 Olympic debut in Paris.
The USA men rank second internationally and qualify alongside No. 1-ranked Serbia and No. 3-ranked China. Also ranked second, the U.S. women qualify with No. 1-ranked China and No. 3-ranked France. The full FIBA federation ranking is available here.
USA Basketball is the first federation to qualify four teams for Paris 2024. The 5-on-5 women’s team qualified for Paris after winning the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup last fall, while the 5-on-5 men qualified based on their placement (fourth, second in FIBA Americas) at the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup in September. The women will compete for their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal, while the men will look for their fifth-straight title.
“USA Basketball is extremely proud to qualify four basketball teams for Paris 2024,” said USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley. “We look forward to watching all teams compete at the highest level with the goal of winning four Olympic gold medals.
“I want to thank each 3x3 player, coach and staff member who has dedicated time over the last 12 months to helping the United States earn these spots in Paris. This is an exciting opportunity for USA Basketball.”
Based on FIBA-sanctioned 3x3 activity, including senior national team competitions and pro circuit events between Nov. 1, 2022, and Oct. 31, 2023, the top 3 nations in each category earned automatic qualification to the Olympic Games next summer. The rest of the eight-team men’s and women’s fields will be determined based on the outcomes of FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournaments next year. To learn more about Olympic qualification, click here.
USA Basketball has had a busy and successful Olympic qualification window.
Highlights for the women include winning the 2023 FIBA 3x3 Women’s World Cup, taking gold at the 2023 Pan American Games last week, earning 11 top 3 finishes during the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series and qualifying for the 2023 FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series Final. Late last year, early in the qualification window, the USA women won bronze at the 2022 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup.
After winning silver at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 Men’s World Cup, the men also won gold at the Pan American Games and took home their first FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup title earlier this month. Four American teams competed on the 2023 FIBA 3x3 World Tour and earned a combined 12 top 3 finishes. Like the women, the men started the qualification year off strong with a gold medal win at the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup last November in Miami.
The 2024 Paris Olympics are set for July 26-Aug. 11, with 3x3 basketball competition set for July 30-Aug. 5 at Place de la Concorde. More information, including the 2024 USA 3x3 Olympic athlete pool, Olympic coaching staffs, training camp information and complete competition schedule, will be announced at a later date.
Different than 5-on-5, 3x3 is played on a half-court with a 10-minute game clock and 12-second shot clock. Play is continuous, as teams “clear” the ball behind the 2-point line following a made basket, defensive rebound or steal. The first team to score 21 points via 1-point field goals or 2-pointers behind the arc is victorious; or if time expires then the team leading wins.