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Who's on the U.S. Olympic Women's 3x3 Basketball Team?
Cameron Brink, Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard, and Hailey Van Lith will be repping the stars and stripes in Paris.
The U.S. will be looking to repeat as gold medal winners in the Women's 3x3 Basketball competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and they've now got the roster to make that hope a reality
Cameron Brink, Cierra Burdick, Hailey Van Lith, and Rhyne Howard have all been tapped to represent their country at the upcoming Olympics.
Brink, along with Burdick and Van Lith, won gold at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 World Cup, per ESPN. Of them, Burdick is the only selected player for the U.S. Team who currently holds multiple World Cup titles, winning the World Championship in 2014. Howard got her first taste of 3x3 action at a training camp in Springfield, Massachusetts back in April.
Brink, the 22-year-old former Stanford star who was drafted second overall by the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks earlier this year, was the World Cup MVP, according to NBC Sports. She said she was “grateful” to make the Olympic squad.
“I’m so grateful to be selected, and it’s an honor to represent the United States at the Paris Olympics this year,” Brink said, according to the Associated Press. “The 3x3 training camp experience helped me with my transition into the league, and now I can’t wait to start preparing for the games with Cierra, Rhyne, and Hailey.”
Burdick, 30, played her collegiate ball at played at the University of Tennessee from 2011-15. She played five seasons in the WNBA, splitting time between the Atlanta Dream, the New York Liberty, San Antonio Stars, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Minnesota Lynx, and Seattle Storm.
Van Lith, 22, is a collegiate point guard, recently transferring to TCU from LSU. She also played for Louisville.
Howard, 24, plays in the WNBA for the Atlanta Dream, having been the first overall pick in the 2022 draft. She was named WNBA Rookie of the Year that same year. She played college ball at Kentucky and was named SEC Player of the Year in both 2020 and 2021.
By FIBA rules, each Olympic 3x3 team must have at least two members in that nation's top 10 FIBA ranking, according to the AP. Burdick, Brink and Van Lith all qualify on that basis.
Winning at the Paris Games would mark Team USA's second gold medal in the sport since the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, when the event initially premiered.
Who will be coaching the U.S. Team?
Jennifer Rizzotti will serve as head coach for the U.S. Team, with Tammi Reiss as assistant, ESPN reported.
“I say this all the time, but there is no greater privilege than to represent the USA at the Olympics,” Rizzotti stated. “We understand that challenge in front of us as we face tremendous talent and experienced 3x3 teams. I am confident this roster gives us what we need to compete for another gold medal with experience, versatility, and a commitment to USA Basketball excellence. I cannot wait to get started.”
Federation rankings currently have the USA as the top-ranked team in the world, followed by China and France. Azerbaijan, Australia, Germany, Spain, and Canada will also compete in 3x3 basketball at the Paris Games, as listed on the NBC Olympics website.
The 3x3 sport, commonly referred to as street ball, debuted in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, having originated from urban American neighborhoods in the late 1980s, according to the Olympics’ main page. Unlike regular basketball, the fast-paced sport utilizes half a court and one hoop instead of two. With three team members on each side, players only have 12 seconds — not the traditional 24 — on their shot clock.
Players for the women’s 5x5 team are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
