Beautiful weather, gorgeous beaches and the world’s greatest athletes. The 2016 Olympic Games may be four years away, but people are already looking forward to Rio 2016. The USA basketball teams will be looking to the defend the men’s and women’s Gold medals, and all signs point to a successful campaign. However, there may be another basketball tournament the USA is expected to dominate.
USA Today reports that FIBA is trying to establish a 3-on-3 basketball tournament for the Summer Games and it could enter the field of play as early as 2016.
Secretary-general Patrick Baumann said Saturday that his group planned to propose it to be played as early as the 2016 Rio Games.
Three-on-three, the game played in driveways, on playgrounds and around the country during the annual Gus Macker tournaments, debuted in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. FIBA wants to create a comprehensive ranking system that would determine the best three-on-three teams in the world. FIBA already has a three-on-three world tour and world championship, but Baumann welcomed all three-on-three tournaments, such as Gus Macker and Hoop It Up, into the fold as long as those tournaments adhered to FIBA rules, including the registration of players in a database to chart wins and losses.
“Like volleyball has beach volleyball, swimming has synchronized swimming, we want three-on-three to be part of it,” Baumann said.
The USA will surely be the favorite if such a thing was to be established in the Summer Games. The Americans have the most talented players in the world and that was on showcase in London. A 3-on-3 team would most likely have to consist of a center, forward and guard, but the rules are obviously not established yet.
However, if players like LeBron James and Chris Paul were brought into this tournament, that would leave a large hole in the other 12-man roster. So Lakers Nation, if the 3-on-3 is brought to the Olympics, whom should the USA send to represent the country?
