After making its Olympic debut in Tokyo, 3x3 basketball was back for a second go-round in 2024. And it was immediately clear just how much the sport had grown over the last four years.
From the consistently raucous crowds at La Concorde — nestled just off the Champs-Élysées in Paris' largest public square, a fitting tribute to the format's urban roots — to celebrity sightings to a buzzer-beating finish, the men's and women's 3x3 competitions offered a full week's worth of drama and pageantry.
Here's a look back at all the action, from highlights to medal results and everything in between.
Women's competition
While both of Germany's 5x5 teams were making history in Lille, the women's 3x3 squad was doing the same in Paris. The Germans entered the tournament with little fanfare after failing to qualify for Tokyo, but it didn't take long for Sonja Greinacher to establish them as a force to be reckoned with.
Greinacher and Germany opened the competition with an upset of the U.S. and never looked back, sitting atop the standings with a 6-1 record in pool play. And in the medal rounds, she turned it up another notch: Greinacher scored 11 of her team's 16 points against Canada in the semis, then hit the game-winning 2-pointer against Spain to clinch an improbable gold medal.
For the U.S, meanwhile, it wasn't the medal it was hoping for after capturing inaugural gold in Tokyo. But considering the adversity this summer brought — Cameron Brink's knee injury meant Team USA's roster wasn't finalized until just weeks before the Opening Ceremony — leaving Paris with a medal of any kind feels like an accomplishment.
The U.S. struggled out of the gate, dropping its first three games and threatening to miss the knockout rounds altogether. But Cierra Burdick, Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard and Hailey Van Lith dug deep and rattled off five straight wins to reach the semifinals. A heartbreaking loss to Spain scuttled hopes of gold, but the U.S. rebounded with a gutsy win over Canada to take home bronze.
Medalists
Gold: Germany
Silver: Spain
Bronze: USA
Men's competition
More chaos reigned on the men's side.
Coming off a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the U.S. — led by former college phenomenon Jimmer Fredette — lost its first four games and failed to make it out of pool play. Canyon Barry put up a Herculean effort to try and pick up the slack once Fredette went down with a groin injury, but the team eventually ran out of gas in a blowout loss to the Netherlands in its final game.
Reigning gold medalist Latvia, meanwhile, seemed to be on cruise control, sprinting through pool play undefeated. France, however, had other ideas: With a frenzied home crowd behind them, Les Bleus pulled off a shocking upset to reach the gold medal game.
But not even a home-court advantage could slow down Worthy de Jong. Rocking short shorts and vintage Dennis Rodman hair, the Dutch guard was the breakout star on the men's side, launching audacious 3s and explosive drives to the rim. De Jong carried the Netherlands throughout the tournament, going off in blowouts of the U.S. and Lithuania in the knockout rounds before delivering the gold medal dagger in the final.
Medalists
Gold: Netherlands
Silver: France
Bronze: Lithuania
Looking ahead to Los Angeles
3x3 basketball will be coming Stateside in 2028 for the Los Angeles Games. And after disappointing results in Paris, USA Basketball has its sights set on making a run at double gold in front of a home crowd.
The road to get there, though, is bumpier than you might think: 3x3 is a totally different, very challenging game, and while the U.S. certainly isn't short on basketball talent, getting players eligible is an uphill battle. But if Paris is any indication, 3x3 only figures to draw more attention — and more star power — in the years to come.