Overview

This is the first time Australia has had three basketball teams at an Olympic Games tournament, with the Gangurrus women's team joining the Boomers and Opals at Paris 2024. The Gangurrus are ranked 29th in the world but are one of the form teams leading into the Paris Games after victories in both the Asian Cup in Singapore and the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Japan earlier this year.

The triumph in Japan showcased the Gangurrus as one of the teams to watch in Paris. The Aussies overcame a heart-breaking overtime loss to world number four the Netherlands in their opening match to storm through the rest of the tournament undefeated, including a thrilling win over world world number seven Canada in the final.

Ones to Watch

The USA, host France, and China enter the tournament as the top-ranked teams, but the Aussies – the 2023 FIBA World Cup bronze medallists – are a tight-knit group with the talent and determination to challenge for a medal.

All first-time Olympians have top-shelf credentials: Anneli is a former WNBL MVP and WNBA star who captained the Perth Lynx to the 2024 WNBL Grand Final; new Townsville Fire sharpshooter Lauren is a former Opals representative; Marena was one of the heroes of their Olympic qualification tournament and is fresh from a debut European season in Spain; while Alex is a former WNBL Rookie of the Year and two-time WNBL champion who was the tournament MVP at the Team’s Asian Cup triumph.

Sport Format

From the moment the whistle blows, 3x3 is non-stop action. Played on a reduced-size half court, matches go for 10 minutes but can be over before the end of regular playing time if a Team scores 21 points or more.

If the score is tied at the end of playing time, an extra period is played with the first team to score two points in overtime the winner.

Teams score one point for a field goal in the arc and for free throws and two points for a shot outside the arc.

In Paris, all eight teams in the tournament will play each other once in a preliminary round-robin.

The top two teams once all pool games have been played will qualify directly to the semi-finals. The teams ranked third to sixth play-off for the remaining semi-final spots.

If teams that have reached the same stage of the competition are tied with the same percentage of victories, the steps to break the tie shall be applied in the following order: head-to-head comparison (only taking win/loss into account within the pool); most points scored on average (without considering winning scores in forfeits). If teams are still tied after those two steps, the team(s) with the highest seeding win(s) the tie-breaker.

Competition Schedule

The Aussies face a challenging start to the tournament with an opening match against Canada followed by clashes with world number six Germany and a double-header against world number three China and number one USA.

Games get underway 30 July at 2:00am AEST.

Fun Facts

The Aussie Team is called the Gangurrus, the original name of the eastern grey kangaroo as called by the Guugu Yimithirr people of far north Queensland.

The shot clock in 3x3 is 12 seconds – half the time of 5x5 basketball.

The ball is smaller than that used in 5x5 basketball to facilitate better handling and suit the extra speed of the 3x3 game.