Jimmer Fredette headlines USA Basketball 3x3 Men’s National Team for Paris Olympics
The foursome that won the gold medal at the 2022 FIBA 3x3 Men's AmeriCup and the 2023 Pan American Games — plus the silver medal at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 World Cup — is headed to Paris to represent Team USA.
Former BYU standout and NBA player Jimmer Fredette along with Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis have been selected as the USA Basketball 3x3 Men's National Team for the Paris Olympics. They will be one of the favorites to medal — and should be in the mix for Gold — at the Games.
"We are very excited and proud to announce the first USA Basketball 3x3 Men's National Team that will compete at the Olympics," Jay Demings, USA Basketball 3x3 national team director, said in a statement. "These four athletes have impressive USA Basketball competitive results and have been tremendous representatives of our country. We appreciate all the athletes that attended training camp to compete for a spot on the roster."
These names might sound familiar. Fredette has a passionate fan base and was a prolific college scorer who was the No. 10 pick of the Bucks back in 2011 and went on to play in six NBA seasons plus have strong seasons overseas before finding a groove in 3x3 — his constant movement and high-level shooting are an excellent fit for this style of game.
Barry is the son of Rick Barry (brother of Brent, Drew and Jon) who played college ball at the College of Charleston and Florida. Maddox played in college at Princeton — the Princeton offense is a natural transition to 3x3, it uses the same principles — and that plus his his all-around game have made him key member of the USA's 3x3 program. Travis played his college ball at Florida Southern College and has played 3x3 professionally and internationally since 2020.
Joe Lewandowski, who has been coaching and advising the USA 3x3 program since 2014, will serve as the head coach and James Fraschilla will assist him.
"Representing your country at the Olympics is the ultimate honor," Lewandowski said in a statement. "I am so happy for these guys after all the hard work and dedication they have put into 3x3 basketball. USA Basketball has the highest of standards and now the hard work begins to reach our gold-medal dream."
Because the USA is one of the top three ranked teams in the world, it automatically qualified for the Paris Olympics and does not have to go through the qualifying tournaments this summer.
The USA 3x3 Men's National Team will conduct a training camp during the NCAA Men's Final Four, April 3-7, in Phoenix. The camp will include an exhibition game against Puerto Rico.
