“Kyrie is unable to play!” FIBA has been accused of deliberately undermining Team USA’s Olympic prospects in 3×3 basketball.

Absent talents like Kyrie Irving, the USA Men’s 3×3 Basketball team recently lost badly in the Paris Olympics competition. The team was eliminated by the Netherlands, who were ranked first and defeated them handily, 21–6. The Netherlands team was ranked second among the favorites going into the group rounds, while the United States squad was seeded as high as sixth. American fans have been reacting to their loss on Sunday and subsequent elimination from the Olympics in large numbers on social media. Some supporters came together to show their appreciation for the team’s efforts to represent the country. Others complained that one of the reasons Team USA lost was the absence of important players like Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving and injured Jimmer Fredette. Instead, FIBA has come under fire from a sports pundit for purposely undermining the United States’ chances in 3×3 basketball.

Do you want to actually talk about it? I will explain why. since they don’t. FIBA’s goal is not for the United States to excel at three-on-three. They sincerely hope it would apply to nations that are unable to field five squads on five. When appearing as a guest on The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst said He says that Team USA’s poor performance in 3×3 basketball at the Olympics in Paris had nothing to do with their player mix or strategy. Conversely, he claims that everything is a part of FIBA’s deliberate intentions to intentionally destroy the squad.

Moreover, Windhorst claims that this is the reason FIBA set up a variety of games and requirements to serve as obstacles, all in an effort to prevent the United States of America from being eligible to play in the Olympics.

Thus, they carry out a plethora of tasks, each with a layered set of requirements that must be fulfilled in order to be qualified. Not just the team, mind you. I mean, Kyrie Irving isn’t just able to show there and play. You can only play in the same manner as you do in the fifteen qualifying tournaments. Moreover, Brian Windhorst
Coach of Team USA 3×3 responds to early Olympic exit

Following their exit from the 2024 Olympic Games, Men’s 3×3 basketball coach Joe Lewandowski offered his reflections on the squad. Lewandowski added that the 3×3 Men’s Basketball National squad has become a better squad even though they lost.

These people that fought are simply amazing. They have raised the bar for our 3×3 program. Their qualification as the top-ranked team in the world for the Basketball 3×3 Men’s World Tour alone speaks volumes about the amount of time and work they put in. Joe Lewandowski stated following the match Three-on-three basketball, in contrast to its more conventional and well-liked five-on-five counterpart, has grown more difficult for the United States. This is especially true for the men’s division, as they made their debuts during the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The Americans lost five of their seven games in this year’s Paris tournament before ultimately falling to the Dutch team 21–6.