The fourth-annual FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup tips off Thursday in Puerto Rico, with 2022 winners Canada and three-time silver medalists Brazil aiming to dethrone defending three-time champs Team USA.
The US is led by three WNBA standouts. Veteran Mystics guard Brittney Sykes’s 12.2 points per game was second on Washington’s 2024 roster, while Sparks forward Azurá Stevens is strong on both ends of the court as LA’s best three-point shooter also boasts the team’s second-best rebound rate.
Meanwhile, Dallas Wings forward Maddy Siegrist is coming off a shooting hot streak, sinking over 50% from the field in her second WNBA season.
Former record-breaking Ivy League sharpshooter Abbey Hsu rounds out Team USA’s roster, with the Belgian league rookie earning the spot over nine WNBA players.
The road to the 3×3 podium
Fifteen teams traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, but only 12 will compete in the tournament’s main draw. Thursday’s court is reserved for the four teams vying to qualify, with either Guatemala, Cuba, Costa Rica, or the Cayman Islands surviving.
With the 12 tournament teams split into four groups of three, pool play takes over on…