U.S. male 3x3 basketball team records consecutive losses

The national male basketball team of the U.S., which is a country where the sport has originated, only experienced four losses in the history of the Olympics. Since the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 when NBA players were allowed to compete in the Olympics until the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, the U.S. national team had 62 matches with a record of 58 wins and four losses. If the U.S. team wins the championship in the Paris Olympics, it would be its 17th Olympic gold medal and the fifth consecutive one.

Meanwhile, the U.S. national male 3x3 basketball team, which is competing in the preliminary rounds for the Paris Olympics, recorded four losses out of four games. The U.S. team lost to Lithuania and Latvia on Friday, becoming the only team that has lost all matches among a total of 16 male and female 3x3 basketball teams in this year’s Olympics.

The U.S. 3x3 basketball team even failed to pass the qualification rounds in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics when 3x3 basketball was first adopted as an Olympic sport. This time, it was expected to be different as the Miami team, which represents the U.S. in the Olympics 3x3 basketball, is ranked No. 1 in the International Basketball Federation.

The issue is that the team’s shooter, Jimmer Fredette, competed only in the first two games and had to drop out due to an injury. Fredette is considered the best shooter in the world in 3x3 basketball. “With Fredette dropping out, we need to keep playing without substitutions. It will be tough, but we will continue to fight,” said his teammate, Canyon Barry. Barry is the son of Rick Barry, an NBA star known for free throws underhand.


Seong-Mo Kim mo@donga.com