The 3-on-3 renaissance is real.
First there was the FIBA 3×3 World Cup that began in 2012 and currently features teams from 24 countries (Serbia has won two out of the three World Cups held thus far, in case you were curious).
Then there’s the much-anticipated BIG3 set to debut this month, founded by a group that includes Allen Iverson and Ice Cube, featuring rosters exclusively made up of ex-NBA players like Chauncey Billups and Kenyon Martin with teams coached by absolute legends like Iverson, Julius Erving, Gary Payton and George Gervin.
On Friday it was announced that the playground-friendly format will reach its biggest stage yet as 3-on-3 basketball is now officially an Olympic sport beginning in 2020 in Tokyo.
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Because international 3-on-3 teams will have to go through a qualifying process that may interfere with the NBA season, it remains unclear (and, at this point, unlikely) that stars from the top professional league on Earth will participate. But if they did, here are the teams we’d go with:
AUSTRALIA
Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Thon Maker
Fourth man: Patty Mills
Irving was born in Australia, where his dad played professionally and Sudan-born Maker is a naturalized Australian citizen. Irving, who might own the best handles in the NBA, would be lethal in this format. Ditto Simmons, whose athleticism, versatility and passing ability for his near-seven-foot size would wreak havoc, while Maker’s ability to protect and roll to the basket while also being able to step out to the 3-point line offensively to create room for his teammates to operate.
BRAZIL
Leandro Barbosa, Bruno Caboclo, Lucas Nogueira
Fourth man: Raul Neto
Why not? Maybe 3-on-3 is Bruno’s calling. Barbosa still has some game left in him, and though he’ll be in his late-30s by 2020 he’d be a welcomed veteran presence alongside the Raptors’ teammates. Nogueira’s ability to occupy space and protect the rim defensively, and finish lobs on the other end, could be a lot of fun to watch.
CANADA
Jamal Murray, Andrew Wiggins, Trey Lyles
Fourth man: R.J. Barrett
Tristan Thompson is a glaring omission, but here’s banking on Lyles’ versatility and advanced offensive game to be a better fit in this format. Murray should have a field day, while Wiggins’ explosiveness and scoring ability would make him one of the stars of the tournament for a Canadian team with a fairly deep talent pool.
CROATIA
Mario Hezonja, Bojan Bogdanovic, Dario Saric
Fourth man: Dragan Bender
Saric, who is a frontrunner for NBA Rookie of the Year, is the star of the show here, with his natural scoring touch and extraordinary passing for a big man on full display alongside a streaky gunner in Bogdanovic and Hezonja, a six-foot-eight lead guard who has notoriously seen more success playing for his country than his NBA team.
FRANCE
Frank Ntilikina, Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert
Fourth man: Nic Batum
Tony Parker will be 38 years old, and so his job goes to Ntilikina, the country’s top point guard prospect and a projected lottery pick in this month’s draft. Fournier is a capable scorer who can get hot and take over stretches, while Gobert will simply be too much to handle for most opponents and dissuade players from making their way to the basket.
GREECE
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Kostas Antetokounmpo
Fourth man: Alexis Antetokounmpo (Giannis says the youngest brother, 15, will be better than him.)
Give me one good reason why not. The Alphabet Bros. will use their insane length and athletic prowess to overwhelm opponents. You know Giannis, and may recall Thanasis, part of the Knicks system, but don’t sleep on Kostas, who is currently destroying mortals in high school.
SERBIA
Nikola Jokic, Nemanja Bjelica, Boban Marjanovic
Fourth man: Borisa Simanic
I would do everything in my power not to miss a Serbia game if they field a team with Jokic handling the ball and the seven-foot-three Boban down low.
SPAIN
Ricky Rubio, Juan Hernangomez, Willy Hernangomez
Fourth man: Marc Gasol
Pau Gasol will be retired by then, with a more-than-capable successor in the Knicks’ promising young big man taking his place. It’s the Hernangomez era. We are just witnesses.
UNITED STATES
LeBron James, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard
Fourth man: Anthony Davis
I mean… take your pick, but this group would be lethal. Klay, a terrific defender, could guard point guards in the half-court (or steer them to either of his rim-protecting teammates) and should find himself wide open given James and Davis will likely see plenty of double-teams. James gets a nod over Durant because of his passing abilities. Really, the potential combinations for a U.S. team are mind-numbing.
Tough omission: Karl-Anthony Towns. And many others.
Who would you go with? Have your say below.