US women to begin Olympic 3×3 basketball title defense against Germany

PARIS (AP) — The U.S. women will begin the defense of their Olympic 3×3 basketball title against Germany.

The 3×3 schedule and first-round matchups at the Paris Games were announced on Monday. La Concorde Square in the heart of Paris will stage the competition from July 30-Aug. 5.

WNBA player Cameron Brink and former LSU player Hailey Van Lith headline the United States squad.

The U.S. men’s team, led by former NBA player Jimmer Fredette, will start against Serbia, the Tokyo Games bronze medalist. This will be the first time the U.S. men compete in Olympic 3×3. The men’s defending champion, Latvia, will face Lithuania in their opener.

Basketball’s 3×3 version debuted in the 2021 Tokyo Games and is played on a half-court between two teams of three players each. The first team to score 21 points or the team with the most points after 10 minutes wins.