Team USA: 3×3 team takes bronze at Champions Cup after semifinal upset

At the FIBA 3×3 Champions Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, USA Basketball’s team of Allisha Gray, Veronica Burton, Naz Hillmon and Shakira Austin scored the most total points, tied for highest winning percentage and defeated the eventual champions, the Netherlands.

But because of an untimely loss, Team USA is returning home with bronze, not gold.

In the semifinals, the American foursome was upset by Azerbaijan, 22-20.

Up 13-8 with under four minutes to play, Team USA seemed sure to secure their spot in the final. Seven-straight points from Azerbaijan, however, flipped the game, putting the Americans down 15-13. From there, Team USA was never able to regain the lead, as Azerbaijan issued a response every time the Americans threatened to whittle away their advantage.

Shooting variance did Team USA no favors. The Americans finished with a shooting efficiency, which accounts for free throws in addition to field goals, of 48 percent; Azerbaijan was at 79 percent. Team USA was particularly poor on 2-pointers, with Gray hitting the United States’ only shot from behind the arc.

Gray scored seven points in the contest, tying with Hillmon for the team lead. Hillmon also hustled her way to six offensive rebounds and seven total boards.

The upset loss set up an all-North American consolation game against Canada, the squad Team USA defeated to win the 3×3 AmeriCup in November. Team USA did what was needed to earn a 20-10 win over the Canadians. Although, it was not the prettiest, nor without adversity.

Scoring was scarce throughout much of the contest, even as Team USA established a comfortable enough advantage. Overall, the Americans were just 8-for-20 on 1-point shots.

Then, with under four minutes to go, Gray was hip checked on a moving screen, sending her flying to the floor. She stayed down for awhile before eventually walking off with assistance. Gray would check back into the game for one more possession before removing herself for the remainder of the game.

Her teammates persevered without her, with Hillmon, in particular, orchestrating and organizing the Americans’ defense-to-offense attack.

Burton had her biggest scoring game of the tournament, hitting a pair of 2-pointers on her way to eight points. Hillmon again led the way on the glass with nine boards, five defensive and four offensive. For the tournament, she finished with the third-most rebounds with 32; her 16 offensive boards were the second-most.

Despite a quiet two points in the third-place game, in part due to her injury scare, Gray was named to the Team of the Tournament. The 2020 3×3 gold medalist finished the tournament with 34 points, the third-most of any competitor.

What’s next for Team USA in 3×3?

The next major international event on the 3×3 calendar is the 2026 FIBA 3×3 World Cup, which will begin June 1 in Warsaw, Poland.

Presuming there is a WNBA season, it’s unlikely the Gray-Burton-Hillmon-Austin foursome will compete. Last year, the American team featured collegians Sarah Strong, Mikaylah Williams, Sahara Williams and Morgan Maly; they finished in sixth place. In 2023, USA Basketball sent a team with two then-college players, Cameron Brink and Hailey Van Lith, and two former WNBA vets, Cierra Burdick and Linnae Harper, that won bronze.

This scheduling prevents the group that competed in the AmeriCup and Champions Cup from logging more minutes together, investing the time, energy and togetherness required to earn a gold medal in 2028 rather than assuming that talent will lead to gold—as USA Basketball seemed to have done in 2024.

Most likely, the next time Gray, Burton, Hillmon and Austin will take the court together again will be at the 2026 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup in November.

For a program that is composing its top 3×3 team with players who also compete at the highest level of 5×5 women’s pro basketball, the FIBA 3×3 calendar is not kind. But, USA Basketball, under the guidance of 3×3 managing director Elena Delle Donne, appears committed to making the best of it.

While not resulting in two golds, the AmeriCup and Champions Cup experiences for Gray, Burton, Hillmon and Austin still have to be considered a success, building towards a future full of brighter medals.