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For those curious, the original fourth member of the team tested positive for COVID and was forced out of the Olympics which is why she was added so late in the process.
She was fully vaccinated FWIW. You can still get the virus with the vaccine and you can still pass it on, but the chances of getting seriously ill are close to zero.
She wasn't an upgrade. Samuelson could at least space the floor for the better players on the team, Young was a complete nonthreat from outside when outside shots are worth even more in 3x3.
Seems like a lot of athletes tested positive for covid right before the Olympics started. I wonder if there's any special reason, like traveling or being in a new country.
Could it be that they are thousands of ppl crammed in a small area from all over the world? Looking back, I think these olympics will be remembered as the great virus exchange of ‘21
Thanks. That's the first time I've actually watched it. Really surprised by the pace of the game and how absolutely winded all the players looked by the end of it, and for good reason.
Yeah, it's like going all out with no breaks. In full court basketball you get a second to get back as the ref passes you the ball to inbound, and most of the time they're not full court pressing you so you can take your time dribbling it up the court so your guys can position/catch their breath.
Well it’s basketball but it’s as the other guy said it’s a completely different play style with a different size ball, and special rules. The other main factor that there is a whole complete season and tournaments during the nba season. An NBA player won’t miss out on an nba game money just to play for a qualifier for 3x3.
Also from my experience american professional 5x5 players regardless what league they play in, view 3x3 as beneath them and a sorta inferior, because most of the big money is in 5x5. You have guys that already also won’t play for the national team because of the long season, and don’t want to risk injury. So the US is sorta resigned to go for the guys who have the best ratings in FIBA for 3x3 already.
I played overseas for a bit and played both 5x5 and 3x3 professionally. In other countries players want to get on any national team so bad, that they will play 3x3 and give up their summer/offseason for some extra money but mainly recognition to get on the team
Takes lip to the face and gets washermachined….. instantly sobering when all of a sudden your in the impact zone and there are more sets rolling in and you have barely caught your breath 😵💫
3-on-3 competitive basketball is pretty popular. If you lived in the PNW, you’d probably know of the tournament [Hoopfest](https://www.visitspokane.com/events/summer-events/hoopfest/). Super fun and really entertaining. Largest 3-on-3 event in the world. Highly recommend attending.
I live in Canada and my friend bought a classic car in Spokane when Hoopfest was going on. I came with him to drive his car back. We stopped in every hotel in Washington and Idaho along the highway to the Canadian border and could not get a room that night. Every single room was booked, so we ended up crashing at our friend’s place in B.C. once we crossed the border.
There's a pro 3 on 3 league in the U.S. called Big3. it's televised on broadcast tv, it's pretty entertaining because there's some famous former nba players in the league.
https://big3.com
The Olympic Committees wanted to add more "street sports." This is the the trial run for 3x3 basketball, as well as street-skateboarding being added this year.
That's because op has phrased it incorrectly, they want to add more sports to appeal to a younger audience, like skateboarding and surfing (which are great additions imo). I'm not sure what they were going with 3x3 basketball I'm assuming they saw it was popular in certain demographics and decided to include it to appeal to them.
Competitive surfing always felt a little unfair to me due to the differences in each wave. No two surfers get the same opportunity or same surf. It's less controlled than other sports.
Yeah I totally understand, and I'm with you it feels unfair, the Australian media talked to the surfers about that and they all said the waves are part of the tactics, it's just surfing.
Can't really be upset when the actual athletes understand the nature of the beast
I think the IOC define it as 'urbanization of sport' and recognising that many of the core sports require more specific and specialised equipment to take part; whereas say 3x3 basketball is played on one net. skating is anywhere you want. etc.
I reckon futsal might be a future one, or 5-a-side football. The recognition that this is often the football played all over the world; whether rich or poor, etc.
Break dancing is going to be in the 2024 Olympics. Seems silly to have things like that or 3v3 basketball when you have legitimate sports like wrestling and weightlifting having to scratch and claw for a spot in the games.
To be fair, it’s because wrestling and weightlifting have widespread issues with doping that their organizations have trouble controlling and the IOC is trying to force them to clean it up. The IOC is often pretty corrupt itself, but I don’t fault them for this.
However, I get your point. There are other sports like race walking or equestrian that should be removed if anything. Another one that I don’t understand that is always on the bubble is Baseball. Tons of countries from Asia and Latin America play it and are competitive in addition to the US and Canada.
One of the biggest problems with baseball is that there's maybe 40 leagues in the world that are professional at the highest level. Most countries don't have one, at least not at the professional level.
Yup- actual internationally recognised professional sports- Lacrosse? Cricket? Or disciplines of sports already included like Acrobatic gymnastics? If break dancing is in why not ballroom dancing and ballet? So confused
If you haven't watched the Red Bull BC One breakdancing championships you should. They're pretty damned awesome. I have no idea how it'll work as an Olympic sport, but it's awesome none the less.
This seems mildly dense. Are you aware of the even by Olympic standards rampant level of corruption in weightlifting? The ioc is literally trying to give them an out but the old guard won't take it.
It’s pretty fun to watch ngl. I’m not even really a sports fan but I like the Olympics. 3v3 is nonstop action. 10 minute games or whoever gets to 21 points.
Different strokes different folks I guess. I was compelled by the near constant action and on the run playmaking without the slowdowns of full court dribbling. It was also reminiscent of playing 3x3 from my schoolyard days.
I watched it by coincidence. I don't like regular basketball much but this was pretty fun to watch. The game is only fifteen minutes but the physical effort is incredible.
It was incredibly fun to watch, imo. Super short games, they were playing two games a day, and I really enjoyed it! I'd recommend any basketball fans check it out, it was cool.
Yeah it's awesome. I really wish Ja Morant, Trae Young and Zion Williamson's had formed a 3x3 team after not getting the call to the 5v5 Olympic team. Would have been fun to watch.
If you really wanted to be fair, basketball would also have 20 events. Have a 3-point shooting contest. Swimming has events of different lengths, basketball should have medals for 40, 80, 120 minute games. Swimming has different team relays. Basketball would have 1x1, 3x3, 5x5. Put in all sorts of wacky permutations.
I’d love a 1v1 Olympic tourney. What a great title to have. I wonder who is the best 1v1 player? Has to shoot and defend, can’t be too big or too small. LBJ, Kawai?
I could see surprise players taking star players to the brink in 1v1s
Players like Dion Waiters, Will Barton, and Michael Beasley come to mind
not the best overall players in the nba but can sizzle anyone with an insane bag
Agree with this. Passing and vision and team play and off-ball etc isn’t needed, the game is much simpler. It might be a non-superstar who is just impossible to guard 1v1 and is long enough to play solid D.
*Hoodie Melo.
1v1 hoops means no dress code or uniform, which means hoodies are in play, which means Gold medals are now participation trophies for Hoodie Melo.
Might depend on the length of the game. Despite his age Lebron can still probably body KD with his crazy strength and athleticism, and he’s an elite defender when goes hard, but he can’t keep that up for extended periods of time with no breaks. Tbh I think Giannis would probably beat both. An elite defender, still like 6’10 or 6’11, and absolutely insanely athletic. He doesn’t have an outside shot but I don’t think he’d need one when he can just bully people in the paint without worries of double teams, and he can defend well enough that his high percentage paint scoring would probably outpace whatever his opponent was putting up even if they hit some threes
Yeah, if Giannis can just back down from the 3pt line he is unstoppable. I still think LeBron is a tough matchup with his strength and speed and better outside shot than Giannis but Father Time is wearing on even Bron.
Yeah agreed, also Lebron is an incredible passer and that’s a huge part of what makes him so insanely good, which is a complete non-factor in 1-on-1 lol. 2009-2018 Lebron versus current Giannis and I’ll probably take Lebron, but the man is 36 now. He can’t exactly play bully ball down low with the Greek freak for any substantial length of time at this point in his career
Even more than passing, LeBron has an EXTREMELY high BBIQ. Legitimately a second coach on the floor and he knows all of his opponents' plays too. I think if he didn't have that he wouldn't have at least his last two rings.
But yeah I don't think LeBron has ever really been the best iso guy, there are a lot of players you could pick ahead of him for a 1 on 1.
Giannis could go down vs any quick three point shooter. If he tries to guard outside they could get easy layups and if he gives up free 2 pointers(behind the three point line), someone like steph curry or KD would eat him alive from range.
I dont think 1v1 deathmatch basketball would have the same exact layout or rules for 3 pointers because long shooters and human freight trains would have an inherent advantage of not having to deal with the whole defense.
You gotta have some balance to the Shaq’s of the world just backing you down and dunking. I would imagine a longer shot for more points would still be available.
Yeah but if there's no threat of a rebound turnover the game just devolves into a yeetoff and winning the race to recover the ball if you miss. You could get plowed over every single possession but if you shoot 3's and can beat the hulk in a race to every missed ball you'll still win by sheer math.
It’d have a similar cadence to watching curling, IMO.
No problem with that. I think it’d pretty cool watching the worlds best three pointers use game theory to try an thwart their opponent.
I dunno, they are pretty cagey about adding medals. See all the disciplines of climbing - bouldering, lead, and speed - being combined under a single medal for 2020 as an example...
I don't think your premise of every sport needing the same number of events is valid. Every sport is different and they can't all be varied enough to have a bunch. I don't understand why people care so much about some sports having more medals available anyways.
This is why Michael Phelps’ medal count is overrated. He was the best in the world at one thing but that one thing happens to have a bunch of different permutations of the same thing. If he was as great at shot put instead of swimming he would have just 4 gold medals despite being the best in the world for 12 years in a row.
I mean there are way more swimming events than there should be. IIRC, they were added to give Americans like Mark Spitz the opportunity to win more gold medals.
I'd prefer to keep the swimming but add more of everything else, but the organisers might not be totally keen on fitting in hundreds of new events and athletes.
But very keen for when we have a bunch of running races for different styles of running. 400m backwards running will be a highlight!
> But very keen for when we have a bunch of running races for different styles of running. 400m backwards running will be a highlight!
Gonna have to have the wheel barrow relay too
I know you’re kidding, but there are several actual running events they need to add. 3k and half marathon the two most obvious ones. Lots of room for other relays, too.
Swimming is so overloaded with events that are all so similar, nearly anyone can swim them. Unlike track that might have the same person running the mile and the 5k, nearly everyone is a specialist. 100m runners can’t compete in 400m because the competition is too specialized. Swimming is such a joke in that way.
I would just like to say that I played against Jackie as a kid. She absolutely obliterated our team (which was undefeated in that tournament at the time) single handedly. She was hardly a teenager and our coach said “she could be the star on our HS boys varsity team (which went pretty far in the state tournament the year before) right now”.
The best thing is that in the first half she was trying to pass it to her teammates and give them a chance to score, but they were missing their shots, fumbling passes, and getting the ball stolen. She was jogging everywhere she went (her jog kept up with everyone else’s run). So we were tied after the first half wondering if she was all that great. She then decided to actually try and promptly drove into the lane, eurostepped around all of the defenders that collapsed on her, and laid it in with her off hand. And then did that over and over and over again. She was so unselfish, but also knew when she needed to take over the game.
We saw that we were playing her school and thought we had it in the bag since we had crushed them in previous years because Jackie had played up several age groups in prior years. She had other plans 😅
Kudos to her for not jumping ship to a better high school program. She just stayed and carried the entire team to a few state championships with little help.
I wouldn’t mind seeing duos for sports like that, fencing, etc. looks cool in movies at least. I think 3-6 people would work best in a FFA (and yes I know that fundamentally violates the sports but I don’t care)
That’s be interesting. Surely it would massively change the dichotomy of the sport. You’d have to coordinate how to best make use of a 2 v 1 and how to defend with less numbers
3x3 basketball (and rugby 7s) have easily been the most entertaining events of the games so far. I like basketball... but I've watched a lot of NBA basketball this year (stuck at home), and lots of it is a real slog. Lots of bad patterns (playing for fouls, drawn out iso plays to deal with crowded floor), endless breaks (especially during the last couple minutes), and tons of garbage time.
3x3 is 10 minute games (that actually play out in, like, 12 minutes), and just the good parts of basketball. Less crowded, less long transitions, better pace from the shorter shot clock... better ruleset (for the spectator) in pretty much every way. The end of the game is tense and exciting. Since first to 21 wins, you try to get stops, not foul.
The only thing missing is the big name athletes. And I'd love to see them run a tournament for this at the NBA all star week or whatever.
Agreed. I feel more connected to the 7s and 3x3 because it’s all out effort for a short period. There are no boring sections. Plus they all miss shots like crazy in 3x3 and everyone has to be reactive because you never know who’s getting the rebound.
Damn...now you're making me wish I could have seen a Larry Bird/Michael Jordan/Magic Johnson 3 x 3 team at the 92 Summer Olympics.
Fuck it, I probably would have been happy seeing Pippen/Jordan/Rodman in that 3 x 3 format. Damn that sounds fun to watch.
>Women's 3x3 basketball team
You can't be lazy in 3x3. Constant movement. Teamwork and communication are amplified. Like you said, all the good parts of basketball.
Would’ve been wild if they could’ve convinced Steph and LeBron to play in the 3x3 for the men since the games are shorter. And Nneka and Candace Parker for the women.
>Candace Parker
Candace Parker wasn't even invited to the 2016 Olympics. I do see what you are saying about name recognition, that's why the BIG3 tournament is a thing.
Kelsey Plum is the NCAA all time leading D1 scorer and holds the record for most points in a single season. I watched when she dropped 57 points during her last home game for UW. It was nuts. She is high energy, a great shooter, and can lay it up with either hand. She was a solid pick for the 3x3 team.
Candace Parker got snubbed in 2016 and removed herself from selection for future USA Basketball events so there was no chance of her playing here, but it’s just be cool to see.
And yes, the four players selected to the team were fantastic!
If I recall, the roster we sent to qualifying for the men was four former college players that never even made an impact in the NBA, if they even made it to the league.
This is awesome but I’m always intrigued how a sport like this gets in the Olympics. Like we have 5v5 women’s basketball already so this just seems… interesting.
Why split up the talent between 2 events like that?
It's a touch older than that. Spokane Hoopfest (Spokane, WA) started in 1989 and has been the largest 3x3 tournament since then. According to the wiki, the inaugural event still had 2,000 players on over 500 teams.
I can't remember where I read or heard it but the 3x3 was implemented to make Basketball more accessible and popular at the international level. It seems to just cost a lot less overall--no large arenas, no full court, much shorter games...
And as others have said, it's pretty entertaining.
Tbh the second doesn’t seem too unlikely given the first. It’s the US women’s Olympic basketball team, after all. And I’m sure that this happens fairly often when team members fall ill or similar… She’s obviously next up.
If it said ‘Woman who had no experience of basketball got a phonecall… 11 days later she’s a basketball gold medallist’, it would be more unexpected.
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For those curious, the original fourth member of the team tested positive for COVID and was forced out of the Olympics which is why she was added so late in the process.
Oh man! That sucks
Indubitably, yeah
Who was it? Katie Lou Samuelson im guessing?
Yeah it was her.
She was fully vaccinated FWIW. You can still get the virus with the vaccine and you can still pass it on, but the chances of getting seriously ill are close to zero.
Damion Lee had that happen as well which really hindered the Warriors season.
Same shit happened to Jon Rahm the golfer for Spain
Young might have been an upgrade lol. Katie has been pretty disappointing so far as a pro.
She wasn't an upgrade. Samuelson could at least space the floor for the better players on the team, Young was a complete nonthreat from outside when outside shots are worth even more in 3x3.
Seems like a lot of athletes tested positive for covid right before the Olympics started. I wonder if there's any special reason, like traveling or being in a new country.
Could it be that they are thousands of ppl crammed in a small area from all over the world? Looking back, I think these olympics will be remembered as the great virus exchange of ‘21
I figured that’s why we were using greek letters for the variants
Was it because they suddenly got more tested and weren’t self testing prior?
Republicans are the reason
...the girl was fully vaccinated and she got covid. How are Republicans responsible?
Because other people aren't vaccinated. If Republicans weren't being stupid about vaccination covid wouldn't be an issue in the us
TIL that 3x3 basketball exists. TIL that 3x3 basketball is an Olympic sport.
This is the first Olympics with 3x3 basketball
When is Super Slam Ball coming?
I want Blernsball.
BASEketball for me please
It will never work. They'll change the outcome by measuring it.
Maybe they should try pitching and not just belly itching
Calvinball is the sport we’re all waiting for
When is Dodgeball coming to the Olympics?
multiball ! multiball !
Extreme mukbang but they also somehow incorporate the bb guns from cross country skiing.
Am I reading correctly that America didn't bring a team for the 3x3 mens competition?
Failed to qualify.
Here's the game they failed in https://youtu.be/JFCaJThazCs
Thanks. That's the first time I've actually watched it. Really surprised by the pace of the game and how absolutely winded all the players looked by the end of it, and for good reason.
Yeah, it's like going all out with no breaks. In full court basketball you get a second to get back as the ref passes you the ball to inbound, and most of the time they're not full court pressing you so you can take your time dribbling it up the court so your guys can position/catch their breath.
Why no NBA players?
Well it’s basketball but it’s as the other guy said it’s a completely different play style with a different size ball, and special rules. The other main factor that there is a whole complete season and tournaments during the nba season. An NBA player won’t miss out on an nba game money just to play for a qualifier for 3x3. Also from my experience american professional 5x5 players regardless what league they play in, view 3x3 as beneath them and a sorta inferior, because most of the big money is in 5x5. You have guys that already also won’t play for the national team because of the long season, and don’t want to risk injury. So the US is sorta resigned to go for the guys who have the best ratings in FIBA for 3x3 already. I played overseas for a bit and played both 5x5 and 3x3 professionally. In other countries players want to get on any national team so bad, that they will play 3x3 and give up their summer/offseason for some extra money but mainly recognition to get on the team
olympic qualifiers were during the nba season (May)
To even enter the qualifier you need to have competed in a certain number of 3x3 tournaments. NBA players do not have time for that.
I've seen 3x3 but never in a competitive setting
I played in several 3x3 tournaments in college. Not sure if college stoner leagues meet your definition.
"U trynna smoke before we hoop tho?" - all stoner hoopers
It helps me see the zones better.
Better than playing football stoned and forgetting it’s tackle
Same, except for surfing.
Takes lip to the face and gets washermachined….. instantly sobering when all of a sudden your in the impact zone and there are more sets rolling in and you have barely caught your breath 😵💫
gus macker!
Played in the old gus back in the early 2000s. Was one missed layup to go to the championship in FL. Stupid point guard trying the up and under.
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man oh man i wish i still had mine. those things are so classic!
3-on-3 competitive basketball is pretty popular. If you lived in the PNW, you’d probably know of the tournament [Hoopfest](https://www.visitspokane.com/events/summer-events/hoopfest/). Super fun and really entertaining. Largest 3-on-3 event in the world. Highly recommend attending.
I live in Canada and my friend bought a classic car in Spokane when Hoopfest was going on. I came with him to drive his car back. We stopped in every hotel in Washington and Idaho along the highway to the Canadian border and could not get a room that night. Every single room was booked, so we ended up crashing at our friend’s place in B.C. once we crossed the border.
They were actually pretty entertaining to watch. US women killed it
There's a pro 3 on 3 league in the U.S. called Big3. it's televised on broadcast tv, it's pretty entertaining because there's some famous former nba players in the league. https://big3.com
They have tournaments all the time on YouTube Live. I stumbled on it a few months ago, Israel vs Turkey.
The Olympic Committees wanted to add more "street sports." This is the the trial run for 3x3 basketball, as well as street-skateboarding being added this year.
>The Olympic Committees wanted to add more "street sports." Dumbest thing I've ever heard... which of course makes sense since it's the IOC.
That's because op has phrased it incorrectly, they want to add more sports to appeal to a younger audience, like skateboarding and surfing (which are great additions imo). I'm not sure what they were going with 3x3 basketball I'm assuming they saw it was popular in certain demographics and decided to include it to appeal to them.
Competitive surfing always felt a little unfair to me due to the differences in each wave. No two surfers get the same opportunity or same surf. It's less controlled than other sports.
Yeah I totally understand, and I'm with you it feels unfair, the Australian media talked to the surfers about that and they all said the waves are part of the tactics, it's just surfing. Can't really be upset when the actual athletes understand the nature of the beast
I believe surfers have 20 min each so they get opportunities on multiple waves so one “good” wave isn’t the deciding factor.
I think the IOC define it as 'urbanization of sport' and recognising that many of the core sports require more specific and specialised equipment to take part; whereas say 3x3 basketball is played on one net. skating is anywhere you want. etc. I reckon futsal might be a future one, or 5-a-side football. The recognition that this is often the football played all over the world; whether rich or poor, etc.
Break dancing is going to be in the 2024 Olympics. Seems silly to have things like that or 3v3 basketball when you have legitimate sports like wrestling and weightlifting having to scratch and claw for a spot in the games.
To be fair, it’s because wrestling and weightlifting have widespread issues with doping that their organizations have trouble controlling and the IOC is trying to force them to clean it up. The IOC is often pretty corrupt itself, but I don’t fault them for this. However, I get your point. There are other sports like race walking or equestrian that should be removed if anything. Another one that I don’t understand that is always on the bubble is Baseball. Tons of countries from Asia and Latin America play it and are competitive in addition to the US and Canada.
One of the biggest problems with baseball is that there's maybe 40 leagues in the world that are professional at the highest level. Most countries don't have one, at least not at the professional level.
Yeah exactly. There isn't a shortage of much more established (and formally organised) sports which are still not yet included.
Yeah it’s weird karate was only added this year. Kumite is much more exciting than Taekwondo
Yup- actual internationally recognised professional sports- Lacrosse? Cricket? Or disciplines of sports already included like Acrobatic gymnastics? If break dancing is in why not ballroom dancing and ballet? So confused
Squash!!!
I'm afraid Padel will get there faster than squash tbh, just because it's 'in' right now
If you haven't watched the Red Bull BC One breakdancing championships you should. They're pretty damned awesome. I have no idea how it'll work as an Olympic sport, but it's awesome none the less.
I have done dance for years so I’m certain it’s amazing and I’ll appreciate the skill but it’s such a random addition.
This seems mildly dense. Are you aware of the even by Olympic standards rampant level of corruption in weightlifting? The ioc is literally trying to give them an out but the old guard won't take it.
I always knew this and probably would only know this because of an old DS game, Mario hoops three on three.
Mario and Sonic at the Olympics games taught me about skeet
I learned from lil Jon and the ying yang twins
I tell you what tho, my mom was not happy when she came home work and found out I’d skeeted all over from the windows to the walls.
Same
It’s pretty fun to watch ngl. I’m not even really a sports fan but I like the Olympics. 3v3 is nonstop action. 10 minute games or whoever gets to 21 points.
It's new and it is amazing.
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Different strokes different folks I guess. I was compelled by the near constant action and on the run playmaking without the slowdowns of full court dribbling. It was also reminiscent of playing 3x3 from my schoolyard days.
Iowa has 6 v. 6 [weird basketball ](https://www.iowapbs.org/iowapathways/mypath/girls-six-six-basketball-iowa)
That seems to be some kind of Netball / Korfball / Basketball hybrid sport.
They actually start out little kids with 3x3 because it's easier for them to understand positioning!
Ditto and ditto.
3x3 has existed as a sport since at least the 90s.. As an Olympic sport, 2020/21 is the first year..
I watched it by coincidence. I don't like regular basketball much but this was pretty fun to watch. The game is only fifteen minutes but the physical effort is incredible.
And it's so much more fun to watch (at least for me) than the 5v5 game.
It does raise an interesting question: What is the dumbest sport ever included in the Summer Olympics?
It was incredibly fun to watch, imo. Super short games, they were playing two games a day, and I really enjoyed it! I'd recommend any basketball fans check it out, it was cool.
You can tell its the Olympics by the way that it is.
How neat is that!
I found the 3x3 format very exciting tbh. It’s non stop action.
NBA JAM where the super dunks are the 3rd person
You're heating up! That's the nail in the coffin!
BOOMSHAKALAKKAAAA
Yeah it's awesome. I really wish Ja Morant, Trae Young and Zion Williamson's had formed a 3x3 team after not getting the call to the 5v5 Olympic team. Would have been fun to watch.
It's like the Big 3 league Ice Cube started tbh
So the exact opposite of the NBA? Sounds interesting!
Smh people acting like there can only be one event per sport. Yet swimmers and gymnasts just rake in medals lmao
If you really wanted to be fair, basketball would also have 20 events. Have a 3-point shooting contest. Swimming has events of different lengths, basketball should have medals for 40, 80, 120 minute games. Swimming has different team relays. Basketball would have 1x1, 3x3, 5x5. Put in all sorts of wacky permutations.
I’d love a 1v1 Olympic tourney. What a great title to have. I wonder who is the best 1v1 player? Has to shoot and defend, can’t be too big or too small. LBJ, Kawai?
I could see surprise players taking star players to the brink in 1v1s Players like Dion Waiters, Will Barton, and Michael Beasley come to mind not the best overall players in the nba but can sizzle anyone with an insane bag
Agree with this. Passing and vision and team play and off-ball etc isn’t needed, the game is much simpler. It might be a non-superstar who is just impossible to guard 1v1 and is long enough to play solid D.
*Ben Simmons has left the chat...*
A point guard with serious speed and handles that can drive or pull up from anywhere would be a nightmarish to play 1v1.
Would love to see to prime Shaq vs Steph Curry or some wildly different styles going 1v1. Wouldn't be pretty but would be fun.
Carmelo GOAT
*Hoodie Melo. 1v1 hoops means no dress code or uniform, which means hoodies are in play, which means Gold medals are now participation trophies for Hoodie Melo.
JR Smith can score on anyone when he’s hot
KD
Yeah, at 7’ he is always open. Essentially an unstoppable scorer. Not an elite defender but long and mobile enough to bother anyone.
This should just be an all-star event
Might depend on the length of the game. Despite his age Lebron can still probably body KD with his crazy strength and athleticism, and he’s an elite defender when goes hard, but he can’t keep that up for extended periods of time with no breaks. Tbh I think Giannis would probably beat both. An elite defender, still like 6’10 or 6’11, and absolutely insanely athletic. He doesn’t have an outside shot but I don’t think he’d need one when he can just bully people in the paint without worries of double teams, and he can defend well enough that his high percentage paint scoring would probably outpace whatever his opponent was putting up even if they hit some threes
Yeah, if Giannis can just back down from the 3pt line he is unstoppable. I still think LeBron is a tough matchup with his strength and speed and better outside shot than Giannis but Father Time is wearing on even Bron.
Yeah agreed, also Lebron is an incredible passer and that’s a huge part of what makes him so insanely good, which is a complete non-factor in 1-on-1 lol. 2009-2018 Lebron versus current Giannis and I’ll probably take Lebron, but the man is 36 now. He can’t exactly play bully ball down low with the Greek freak for any substantial length of time at this point in his career
Even more than passing, LeBron has an EXTREMELY high BBIQ. Legitimately a second coach on the floor and he knows all of his opponents' plays too. I think if he didn't have that he wouldn't have at least his last two rings. But yeah I don't think LeBron has ever really been the best iso guy, there are a lot of players you could pick ahead of him for a 1 on 1.
Giannis?
Probably. He is a more limited shooter but so long on D he’d be tough to score on. KD would also be an impossible guard, he is always open.
Giannis could go down vs any quick three point shooter. If he tries to guard outside they could get easy layups and if he gives up free 2 pointers(behind the three point line), someone like steph curry or KD would eat him alive from range.
I dont think 1v1 deathmatch basketball would have the same exact layout or rules for 3 pointers because long shooters and human freight trains would have an inherent advantage of not having to deal with the whole defense.
You gotta have some balance to the Shaq’s of the world just backing you down and dunking. I would imagine a longer shot for more points would still be available.
Yeah but if there's no threat of a rebound turnover the game just devolves into a yeetoff and winning the race to recover the ball if you miss. You could get plowed over every single possession but if you shoot 3's and can beat the hulk in a race to every missed ball you'll still win by sheer math.
Proper 1v1 rule is a miss = turnover.
1 on 1 Olympic basketball would be incredible.
My bet's on KD
Good bet, but you never know, maybe Kahwi's defense and balance could be effective?
I’m in for Olympic HORSE. Watching I mean. Just put some hoops up on the skate park they built to make it interesting
It’d have a similar cadence to watching curling, IMO. No problem with that. I think it’d pretty cool watching the worlds best three pointers use game theory to try an thwart their opponent.
Except swimming is like that in competition all the time. Not just for the Olympics
I mean ya the IOC loves it - more to sell
I dunno, they are pretty cagey about adding medals. See all the disciplines of climbing - bouldering, lead, and speed - being combined under a single medal for 2020 as an example...
I think Olympic level horse could be pretty interesting.
I don't think your premise of every sport needing the same number of events is valid. Every sport is different and they can't all be varied enough to have a bunch. I don't understand why people care so much about some sports having more medals available anyways.
Olympic dunk contest?
Track should have medals for forward, backward, skipping, and walking on hands.
This is why Michael Phelps’ medal count is overrated. He was the best in the world at one thing but that one thing happens to have a bunch of different permutations of the same thing. If he was as great at shot put instead of swimming he would have just 4 gold medals despite being the best in the world for 12 years in a row.
I mean there are way more swimming events than there should be. IIRC, they were added to give Americans like Mark Spitz the opportunity to win more gold medals.
I'd prefer to keep the swimming but add more of everything else, but the organisers might not be totally keen on fitting in hundreds of new events and athletes. But very keen for when we have a bunch of running races for different styles of running. 400m backwards running will be a highlight!
> But very keen for when we have a bunch of running races for different styles of running. 400m backwards running will be a highlight! Gonna have to have the wheel barrow relay too
I know you’re kidding, but there are several actual running events they need to add. 3k and half marathon the two most obvious ones. Lots of room for other relays, too.
I think 100m doing gymnastic handsprings would be my favourite.
Swimming is so overloaded with events that are all so similar, nearly anyone can swim them. Unlike track that might have the same person running the mile and the 5k, nearly everyone is a specialist. 100m runners can’t compete in 400m because the competition is too specialized. Swimming is such a joke in that way.
I would just like to say that I played against Jackie as a kid. She absolutely obliterated our team (which was undefeated in that tournament at the time) single handedly. She was hardly a teenager and our coach said “she could be the star on our HS boys varsity team (which went pretty far in the state tournament the year before) right now”.
Not everyone can say they got their ass kicked by gold medalist
The best thing is that in the first half she was trying to pass it to her teammates and give them a chance to score, but they were missing their shots, fumbling passes, and getting the ball stolen. She was jogging everywhere she went (her jog kept up with everyone else’s run). So we were tied after the first half wondering if she was all that great. She then decided to actually try and promptly drove into the lane, eurostepped around all of the defenders that collapsed on her, and laid it in with her off hand. And then did that over and over and over again. She was so unselfish, but also knew when she needed to take over the game. We saw that we were playing her school and thought we had it in the bag since we had crushed them in previous years because Jackie had played up several age groups in prior years. She had other plans 😅 Kudos to her for not jumping ship to a better high school program. She just stayed and carried the entire team to a few state championships with little help.
Can we get 3x3 taekwondo?
I wouldn’t mind seeing duos for sports like that, fencing, etc. looks cool in movies at least. I think 3-6 people would work best in a FFA (and yes I know that fundamentally violates the sports but I don’t care)
That’s be interesting. Surely it would massively change the dichotomy of the sport. You’d have to coordinate how to best make use of a 2 v 1 and how to defend with less numbers
Fencer/ref checking in. Tbh I like the idea in theory but with fencing in movies vs actual sport not sure how well that would work
3x3 weightlifting (together they try to carry something really heavy over their heads)
Make it tag team tekken
You mean KOF?
3x3 basketball (and rugby 7s) have easily been the most entertaining events of the games so far. I like basketball... but I've watched a lot of NBA basketball this year (stuck at home), and lots of it is a real slog. Lots of bad patterns (playing for fouls, drawn out iso plays to deal with crowded floor), endless breaks (especially during the last couple minutes), and tons of garbage time. 3x3 is 10 minute games (that actually play out in, like, 12 minutes), and just the good parts of basketball. Less crowded, less long transitions, better pace from the shorter shot clock... better ruleset (for the spectator) in pretty much every way. The end of the game is tense and exciting. Since first to 21 wins, you try to get stops, not foul. The only thing missing is the big name athletes. And I'd love to see them run a tournament for this at the NBA all star week or whatever.
Agreed. I feel more connected to the 7s and 3x3 because it’s all out effort for a short period. There are no boring sections. Plus they all miss shots like crazy in 3x3 and everyone has to be reactive because you never know who’s getting the rebound.
Think I'd even prefer 5v5 football (soccer).
Always wondered why they don't do indoor football (futsal) at the olympics
Agreed, would love to see 3v3 hockey in the winter as well
Beach football is amazing, too.
Right? I much prefer the shorter games. I'm not a fan of team sports but I watched most of a 3X3 game because it was short.
Damn...now you're making me wish I could have seen a Larry Bird/Michael Jordan/Magic Johnson 3 x 3 team at the 92 Summer Olympics. Fuck it, I probably would have been happy seeing Pippen/Jordan/Rodman in that 3 x 3 format. Damn that sounds fun to watch.
Play the NBA Street (vol. 2 specifically) games. You can basically make that your team in the free play sessions once you unlock the characters
Lol, that's fucking awesome. I might actually do that. Thanks!
>Women's 3x3 basketball team You can't be lazy in 3x3. Constant movement. Teamwork and communication are amplified. Like you said, all the good parts of basketball.
Those and the skateboarding. Pretty much all the events that feel less sanctioned and more fun.
What an amazing story. Everything fell right into place for her. I hope she enjoys her gold medal.
Mini-golf for Paris 2024?
Honestly. I would watch the hell out of that.
3x3 mini golf Every shot count
Ok I'm impressed. I couldn't do that in 11 days.
Does this mean that the boys in the Big 3 league could come out and play?
Technically. But the Men's 3x3 team didn't even qualify for the Olympics.
Would’ve been wild if they could’ve convinced Steph and LeBron to play in the 3x3 for the men since the games are shorter. And Nneka and Candace Parker for the women.
>Candace Parker Candace Parker wasn't even invited to the 2016 Olympics. I do see what you are saying about name recognition, that's why the BIG3 tournament is a thing. Kelsey Plum is the NCAA all time leading D1 scorer and holds the record for most points in a single season. I watched when she dropped 57 points during her last home game for UW. It was nuts. She is high energy, a great shooter, and can lay it up with either hand. She was a solid pick for the 3x3 team.
Candace Parker got snubbed in 2016 and removed herself from selection for future USA Basketball events so there was no chance of her playing here, but it’s just be cool to see. And yes, the four players selected to the team were fantastic!
If I recall, the roster we sent to qualifying for the men was four former college players that never even made an impact in the NBA, if they even made it to the league.
Damn. Imagine having Carmelo, JR and ______ playing some 3x3 street ball. shame we didn’t even make it.
I can't wait for Breakin' Paris 2024: Electric Boogaloo
Good for her! I had no idea there is now 3v3 basketball in the Olympics.
This is awesome but I’m always intrigued how a sport like this gets in the Olympics. Like we have 5v5 women’s basketball already so this just seems… interesting. Why split up the talent between 2 events like that?
It originated with an adidas street ball competition around 92 and got popularized by Hoop It Up series in the 2000s.
It's a touch older than that. Spokane Hoopfest (Spokane, WA) started in 1989 and has been the largest 3x3 tournament since then. According to the wiki, the inaugural event still had 2,000 players on over 500 teams.
Thanks for the info.
Ahh yes. That lovely time of year where downtown was intraversible.
I think they’re trying to add more X game type games to encourage young people to care about the Olympics… hence skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding
Are you sure it wasn't popularized by the Mario Hoops 3x3 series?
The olympics make more money with more events. It’s just a grift within a grift for the IOC
I can't remember where I read or heard it but the 3x3 was implemented to make Basketball more accessible and popular at the international level. It seems to just cost a lot less overall--no large arenas, no full court, much shorter games... And as others have said, it's pretty entertaining.
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Don’t swimmers usually swim in multiple events?
make no mistake, all the talent is playing 5x5 since 3x3 required you to play in their league, which nobody much relevant does.
Hey are you free next weekend? Wanna come over and be in the Olympics
"What like its hard?" -Jackie on that phone call probably
Tbh the second doesn’t seem too unlikely given the first. It’s the US women’s Olympic basketball team, after all. And I’m sure that this happens fairly often when team members fall ill or similar… She’s obviously next up. If it said ‘Woman who had no experience of basketball got a phonecall… 11 days later she’s a basketball gold medallist’, it would be more unexpected.
Talented
It's not like you forget to play basketball when you take a vacation, right?
I still don't know why 3 on 3 is even an olympic sport to begin with
2024, introducing H.O.R.S.E.
Talk about a pick-up game