Featured Columnist IVAugust 4, 2024
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Team USA star Jimmer Fredette revealed he suffered two torn ligaments in his adductor during the 2024 Summer Olympics.
“This is devastating for me as I have put two years into qualifying for the Olympics with this group who are my brothers,” he wrote on Instagram, adding he expects to be out for six months.
USA Basketball 3×3 @usab3x3
Heartbroken for Jimmer, his family & the team. pic.twitter.com/SFZb5d7cUX
The United States failed to advance out of pool play in the men’s 3×3 basketball tournament after going 2-5.
Fredette said his injury came in Team USA’s 19-17 loss to Poland. He finished with three points in the defeat and didn’t appear for the remainder of the tournament.
Teams are only allotted four roster spots in the 3×3 event. Removing Fredette from the mix meant Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis had to go the majority of the opening phase without anybody to bring off the bench. By the end, the trio appeared to be out of gas. The Netherlands blew out the United States 21-6 in the final game.
The broad performance from the U.S. men is raising wider systemic questions.
Rodger Sherman @rodger
I respect the dedication of the guys on the USA 3×3 team and they nearly won the World Cup last year with the same roster, but there’s no excuse for going two Olympics without even making the knockout stages. USA Basketball needs to figure out a solution for 2028 https://t.co/moJfT73EEa
Team USA failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics but did finish runner-up at the FIBA 3×3 World Cup in 2023. The squad that went to Paris was the same one that came up one win short of gold in Vienna, Austria, a year ago.
Were it not for Fredette’s injury, the United States might’ve had a much different outcome in the pool phase.
