“Kyrie can’t show up and play!” FIBA accused of purposefully ruining Team USA’s chances at Olympics for 3×3 basketball
After USA Men's 3x3 basketball team crashed out of Paris Olympics, a top analyst has criticized FIBA for not allowing Kyrie Irving to play.
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Kyrie Irving playing for Team USA (Image via Sports Illustrated)
The USA Men’s 3×3 Basketball team, without stars like Kyrie Irving, recently crashed out of the competition at the ongoing Paris Olympics. Their elimination came at the hands of the top-seeded Netherlands, who inflicted a heavy 21-6 defeat on the team. The USA had entered the group stages as the No. 6 seed while the Dutch team were seeded among the favorites at the No. 2 spot.
Following their loss on Sunday and subsequent elimination from the Olympics, tons of reactions have been observed on social media amongst American fans. Some fans showed support and rallied behind the team for their efforts in representing the nation. Others decried the absence of key players such as Jimmer Fredette who was injured, and Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving not being allowed a callup, among the reasons Team USA got defeated. However, a sports analyst has called out FIBA instead for intentionally ruining the USA’s chances in 3×3 basketball.
You want real talk about it? I'll tell you why. Because they don't. FIBA doesn't really want the US to do good at three on three. They really want that to be for countries that can't field five on five teams.ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst said as a guest on The Pat McAfee Show
According to him, the misfortunes experienced by Team USA in 3×3 basketball at the Paris Olympics are not a reflection of their player profile or game tactics. Rather, he says it is all part of plans orchestrated by the world basketball governing body, FIBA, to ruin the team on purpose.
Furthermore, Windhorst asserts that is the reason why there were a lot of different games and conditions put over place by FIBA to act as hurdles, just so the USA does not qualify to compete at the Olympics.
And so they do all these things, like they have all these different layers and layers and layers of things you have to do to qualify. I don't just mean the team. I'm talking about, like Kyrie[Irving] can't just show up and play. The only way you can play is like you play in 15 qualifying events...Brian Windhorst added
Team USA 3×3 coach reacts to early Olympics exit
After the USA were eliminated at the 2024 Olympic Games, the Men’s 3×3 basketball coach Joe Lewandowski shared his thoughts on the team. Lewandowski also noted that despite their defeat, the 3×3 Men’s basketball national team has improved more as a unit
This is just a great group of guys that battled. They’ve taken our 3x3 program to another level. Just from the way they qualified, coming here [as] the number 1 team in the world [FIBA 3x3 Men’s World Tour], that’s a credit to how much time and effort they put into it.Joe Lewandowski said after the game
Unlike its more traditional and popular five-on-five counterpart, three-on-three basketball, has become more of a struggle for the USA. This is particularly on the men’s side, since debuting during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. In this year’s edition in Paris, the Americans dropped five of their seven games before eventually facing a 21-6 rout from the Dutch side.
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Gerard Crispin
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