Tag: 2024 Paris Olympics

Hailey Van Lith joins seasoned pros on FIBA 3×3 roster ahead of Paris

The teams were composed of players various levels, including the WNBA, NCAA and Athletes Unlimited.

If you are a phenomenal player, it doesn’t matter if you are still in college or a seasoned professional player. USA Basketball was represented by two teams at the 2024 FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series opener with players from the WNBA, NCAA, Athletes Unlimited and the international level.

After winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, the United States is looking to repeat in Paris. Team USA consisted of Hailey Van Lith, Cierra Burdick, Lexie Hull and Rhyne Howard. The other roster, Team Springfield, boasted Allisha Gray, Cameron Brink, Dearica Hamby and Linnae Harper.

Team USA took second to Canada in the final at the Springfield stop of the series, falling short, 20-18. The teams competing in the series consisted of athletes from Canada, France, Germany and Puerto Rico.

The 3×3 game is a bit different than the 5×5 full-court basketball. For example, 3×3 is played on a half-court with a 10-minute game clock. The first team to score 21 points via 1-point field goals or 2-pointers behind the arc is victorious. If neither team reaches 21 before time expires, the team with the most points wins.

“I just like how free-flowing it is; there’s a lot of room for error,” Brink said. “If you mess up, you just have to move on to the next possession immediately.”

The FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series “offers women a chance to play 3×3 at the highest competitive level regularly, representing a unique opportunity to bring new countries and players into the limelight and to recognize the best and upcoming players in the industry.” The event culminates in a 3×3 World Cup and then the Olympic Games in Paris.

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2-time NCAA Player of the Year Zach Edey declares for 2024 NBA draft

Edey became the first player in over 50 years to win to be named Player of the Year unanimously in consecutive seasons.

National Player of the Year Zach Edey told Jonathan Givony of ESPN on Tuesday that he had declared for the 2024 NBA draft after four years at Purdue University.

Edey led the Boilermakers to the national title game after averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and two assists on 62.3% shooting from the field. He became the first player in over 50 years to win to be named Player of the Year unanimously in consecutive seasons.

The 7-footer leaves the program as the all-time career leader in points (2,516), rebounds (1,321), field goals (925) and field-goal percentage (62.1). He became the sixth player in history and the first since 1990 to finish with at least 2,516 points and 1,321 rebounds in a career.

Edey, who started playing basketball in 2017, is projected to be a first-round pick, given his ability to dominate in the paint and protect the rim. He is one of the most accomplished collegiate players in history and affected winning at a high level.

The 21-year-old will also be a step above his peers in terms of his experience. He helped Canada win the bronze medal last year in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, averaging 3.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in five games, and will likely be with the team again for the Olympics.

Edey is preparing for the pre-draft process; team workouts and interviews will take over the next several weeks. He proved himself to be one of the most dominant collegiate players in recent memory and looks to continue that success at the next level.

The 2024 NBA draft will occur June 26-27 in New York City.

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Former LSU pole vaulter breaks world record for 8th time

A former LSU pole vaulter broke the world record for eighth time on Saturday morning.

Former LSU pole vaulter [autotag]Armand Duplantis[/autotag] broke the men’s pole vault record for the eighth time on Saturday morning, clearing 6.24 meters.

He broke his own record, which he set just eight months ago, of 6.23 meters

Duplantis competed for LSU in 2019, winning the SEC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year along with the indoor national title. He holds the collegiate record for the indoor and outdoor pole vault.

Prior to LSU, Duplantis competed at the high school level in Louisiana, notching seven state championships.

Following his time at LSU, Duplantis won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He’ll look to do the same at the Paris games this summer, competing for his native country of Sweden.

At just 24 years old, Duplantis is putting together one of the best track and field resumes in the sport’s history.

Armand’s brother, Antoine, played baseball for LSU from 2016-19 and was a member of the 2017 team that fell just short of a national title in the College World Series final.

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LSU’s Mikaylah Williams invited to USA Basketball 3×3 training camp

Mikaylah Williams has a chance to earn a spot on the Olympic team.

[autotag]Mikaylah Williams[/autotag]’ international career with Team USA is set to continue this spring.

Williams was one of 17 players invited to take part in USA Basketball’s 3×3 in Springfield, Massachusetts, from April 17-20, where the team will evaluate players to ultimately help determine the team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The reigning SEC Freshman of the Year is no stranger to competing on the international stage. She’s a three-time (and reigning) 3×3 World Cup champion, and she was named USA Basketball Athlete of the Year in 2022 and 2023.

Williams has also competed internationally in 5×5, winning a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup.

Williams, one of the top recruits coming out of high school in the 2023 class, averaged 14.5 points while totaling 98 assists this season, both of which rank sixth all-time at LSU among true freshmen. She set a program record for true freshmen with 42 points scored against Kent State, and she scored 20+ points in seven games.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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Wizards’ Bilal Coulibaly hopes to represent France in 2024 Summer Olympics

Wizards rookie Bilal Coulibaly this week expressed his desire to represent his home country in the 2024 Olympic Games.

Washington Wizards rookie Bilal Coulibaly this week expressed his desire to represent his home country in the 2024 Olympic Games, which tip off July 27 in France.

Coulibaly, who was born just outside of Paris, projects to be among the players in contention to earn a place on France’s 12-man roster for the tournament. He has not yet debuted with the senior national team, though, appearing only in the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship.

The 19-year-old averaged 7.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and one assist in seven games. He was joined by Melvin Ajinca, Sidy Cissoko and Rayan Rupert as the team finished fifth in the tournament.

He hopes he will have the opportunity to be called up for the Olympics.

“I will, for sure, try to be on the team,” Coulibaly said, via Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “But, yeah, we’ll see. I mean, coaches make their choices, and I totally respect it. So, yeah, we’ll see.”

France qualified for the Olympic Games by being the host country. The team had a rather disappointing showing in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, finishing 18th with Nic Batum, Nando de Colo, Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert on the roster.

That quartet is again expected to suit up, and Victor Wembanyama is expected to join them. He was held out of participating in the FIBA Basketball World Cup after an extended run between Metropolitans 92 and San Antonio in the NBA Summer League.

France was selected to compete in Group B, along with Germany, Japan and a team still to earn a berth. The team will face the still-to-be-decided country to open the tournament (July 27) and play Japan (July 30) and Germany (Aug. 2) to wrap up the group phase.

With so many players available, coach Vincent Collet will likely face plenty of challenges configuring the 12-man roster. After a productive rookie campaign with the Wizards, though, Coulibaly hopes he showed enough to earn a place.

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Jimmer Fredette and his iconic 3-point range is going to the 2024 Olympics for Team USA

Yes. That IS Jimmer Fredette you’re seeing.

Jimmer Fredette is still a hooper at heart, and he’s taking his skills to Paris. Fredette, along with four other players, was named to the men’s 3×3 National Team.

Earlier this year, when Jimmer Fredette popped up trading buckets with Caitlin Clark on Sue Bird’s Sue’s Places, you may have wondered: what has Jimmer been up to? Since his time in the NBA, he’s played overseas and even won a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Fredette is now back with the same team he played with during the FIBA World Cup to conquer the Paris Olympics with the men’s 3×3 basketball team.

Fredette, Canyon Barry, the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry, Kareem Maddox, and Dylan Travis will take their talents to Paris in July. This will be the first time that the 3×3 team will make the Olympic program, as the U.S. men didn’t qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

In case you’re unfamiliar with how 3×3 basketball works, here’s a quick summary. Per the official Olympic site, 3×3 basketball is played on half a basketball court with two competing teams. Each team has three players who will play on the same hoop.

The goal is to achieve the highest score at the end of a 10-minute period or be the first team to score 21 points. The typical 3-point line that players use in other forms of basketball is instead a two-point line, and any shot made inside the arc will be considered one point.

Predicting the 2024 Paris Olympics roster for Team USA women including Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson

Predicting a 12-player roster with so many stars is HARD, but here’s our best guess.

After a successful pair of exhibition games in November of 2023 following a training camp in Atlanta, the USA Basketball Women’s Olympic Team is poised to assemble a stacked roster ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The USA Basketball National Team Committee will have its hands full trying to decide what athletes will be part of the 2024 Olympic roster. In the coming weeks, 18 players will attend an additional training camp in New York. A final roster of 12 players will represent the United States at the 2024 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament on February 8-11 in Belgium.

When the Paris Olympics arrive in July, USA Basketball will be playing for a chance to win its eighth consecutive gold medal.

With so many phenomenal athletes, there will be some tough cuts. Here are the 12 players we project to make the roster:

Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren named to USA Basketball player pool for 2024 Olympics

Chet Holmgren was among 41 players named to the USA Basketball men’s national team player pool for the 2024 Olympic Summer Games.

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren was among 41 players named to the USA Basketball men’s national team player pool for the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, France.

The pool features several high-profile players, such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving. The group of players will eventually be pared down to a final 12-member roster, which will be announced at a later date.

Holmgren previously participated with the USA Basketball select team last year and scrimmaged against the national team ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup. He also helped the United States win the 2021 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup gold medal.

USA Basketball qualified for the 2024 Olympic Summer Games after finishing fourth in the FIBA Basketball World Cup last year. The group, led by Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards, finished as one of the top two countries in the Americas region.

The work to field the Olympic roster reportedly began once the team failed to medal last year in the Philippines. The player pool was selected by a group led by managing director Grant Hill, who took over the position from Jerry Colangelo in April 2021.

Steve Kerr took over from Gregg Popovich as head coach and was assisted by Erik Spoelstra, Tyronn Lue and Mark Few in the FIBA Basketball World Cup. The quartet is expected to lead USA Basketball once again this summer in Paris.

USA Basketball will be looking for its fifth straight gold medal.

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Nets’ Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson among finalists for 2024 USABMNT

USA Basketball announced on Tuesday that Brooklyn Nets wings Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson are finalists for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Brooklyn Nets are at the point of their season where if they want to have a chance at the playoffs, they have to start stringing together wins right now. However, outside of that, there is some good news regarding two of their better players.

On Tuesday, prior to the Nets’ matchup against the New York Knicks, USA Basketball announced through their “X” account the 41 finalists for the 2024 Men’s National Team. Two of the finalists were Nets guard Mikal Bridges and forward Cam Johnson, two players who participated in the FIBA World Cup for the team this past summer.

As USA Basketball pointed out in a subsequent post, the list will be cut down from 41 to 12 later in 2024. Obviously, with the 2024 edition of the team competing in the Paris Olympics, some of the top players in the NBA like LeBron James and Steph Curry will most likely be the headliners for the team.

Bridges, 27, is averaging 21.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 45.2% from the field and 35.4% from behind the three-point line.

Johnson, 27, is averaging 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 45.1% from the field and 39.2% from three-point land.

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Megan Thee Stallion pitches a Hot Girl style Olympics in new bizarre but funny commercial

Attention: Hot Girl Summer loading. You’ve been warned.

Attention, hotties. Your favorite rapper, Megan Thee Stallion, is in her bag and the Olympics’ bag, too.

Meg’s been breaking barriers since she arrived on the scene. As one of Houston’s finest, she made a reputation for herself with metaphor-heavy bars and a quirky yet authentic personality that defies the perception of female lyricists.

She’s provocative in every sense of the word (and gets the people going), proving that, if nothing else, Megan Thee Stallion will always be Megan Thee Stallion.

A Hot Girl Summer is coming in July of 2024 because Meg is teaming up with the Olympics in a wild new commercial (with fire-breathing talking horses — yes, you read that right) promoting the Paris Games.

Nothing about this makes sense, but it kind of works.