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FILE - This Sept. 21, 1991 file photo shows Michael Jordan, left, and Earvin «Magic» Johnson holding their uniforms for the 1992 US Olympic Basketball team in Chicago. Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James knows who his dream teammates would be in a 3-on-3 competition at the 2020 Olympics _ Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. James didn’t think he would consider playing in the new Olympic event in the Tokyo Games, but is happy it was added. (AP Photo/Ralf-Finn Hestoft, file)[/caption]
CLEVELAND — LeBron James knows who his dream teammates would be in a 3-on-3 competition at the 2020 Olympics — Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
Jordan and Johnson’s names came to James without any hesitation when asked by The Associated Press which past greats he would like to play with. The Cavaliers star was a bit more reserved when he came to picking present day players.
“I don’t know, I have to think about it,” James said. Not that James — or Magic or Michael — is participating. James didn’t think he would consider playing in the new Olympic event in the Tokyo Games, but is happy it was added.
“It’s great for basketball,” he said. “For us to be able to add another category to the Olympics, another basketball category, I think it’s pretty great. I haven’t seen the full layout of how they plan on executing it ... are they going to use NBA guys, are they going to use college guys? I’m not quite sure.
“I’m not very good in a 3-on-3 thing. I’m more of a 5-on-5 guy. I stay out of the 1-on-1 matchups during our practice, the 2-on-2 and the 3-on-3s. So probably not. I probably won’t be a part of the 3-on-3 matchup.”
The new Olympic event was added Friday by the International Olympic Committee. There will be eight men’s teams and eight women’s teams competing. As far as what teams are selected and how teams qualify, that’s still unclear.
“They don’t want just the basketball powers to compete in 3-on-3,” USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said. “FIBA will get together and figure out how teams will qualify. They will definitely want to reward countries that have been doing a lot of 3-on-3 activities.”
The US has been pushing 3-on-3 over the past few years and held a national tournament last month. The winners will head to the World Cup in France later this month.
“The last few years, we have made a major push in 3-on-3 basketball with our nationwide Dew NBA 3X tour and several international 3-on-3 competitions. The Olympic stage will provide these elite athletes with the opportunity to further demonstrate their talents,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum said.
It’s also unclear if the NBA will even allow its players to compete, which is just fine with Draymond Green. “I grew up playing street ball so to have 3-on-3 a part of the Olympics I think it’s also something guys can win that are not pro athletes,” The Golden State Warriors forward said. “So I think that could be really good. You see in these other sports where they go compete in the Olympics but they have regular day jobs. I think that can be like that for 3-on-3. So I think that can be great.”
While the new event may not have NBA guys competing, count Breanna Stewart as one WNBA player who would love the chance to play in both basketball events if possible. “Sure, I’d love to do it,” said Stewart, who won her first Olympic gold medal at the Rio Games. “Whenever I can put on a USA Basketball jersey ... I’d be happy to.”
The US has never won a men’s gold medal while playing in the 3-on-3 World Cup, which began in 2012. Serbia has won the title twice and Qatar was the champion in 2014. The Americans won the silver in 2016 after finishing 14th in 2014.
The women won gold medals in 2012 and 2014 before settling for the bronze in 2016. “Definitely I would play in it again if offered the opportunity,” said Bria Hartley, who was part of the first title team in 2012, pairing with fellow WNBA players Chiney Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins and Ann Strother. “It was so much fun and it’s so fast-paced.”
The rules are made for up-tempo competition . With one 10-minute period, the 3-on-3 is a lot quicker than its 5-on-5 counterpart. A game can end even sooner if a team scores 21 points in less than 10 minutes. I
f the game is tied after 10 minutes, it goes into overtime with the first team scoring two points in OT wins. Those rules make a big difference in limiting the Americans’ depth, which they have used to overwhelm opponents in traditional Olympic basketball games. — AP
