While Team USA women’s basketball is usually considered in a league of its own, the 3×3 team has work ahead after losing in the finals of the 2026 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup. For those unfamiliar, this format launched half a decade ago, featuring a multi-stage tournament structure designed for rapid, high-stakes 3×3 basketball action. But the three-time gold medalists had to settle for second place for the second time since 2024 against the same opponent.

“The women take home silver,” USA Basketball 3×3 posted on X following Team USA’s 12-21 defeat against Canada in San Salvador.

Despite a strong tournament, Team USA fell short to the team they beat to win gold in last year’s AmeriCup. The American squad featured four players with WNBA experience: Aziaha James, Aerial Powers, Sydney Taylor, and debutant Flau’jae Johnson.

In 3×3, shots inside the arc are worth one point, and shots beyond it are worth two. James gave Team USA a flying start in the final, scoring three straight points to give her team a 3-1 lead. However, that momentum did not last long, as Canada answered with a 4-1 run of their own. While the Americans tried to hold their own, head coach Christina Batastini’s side fell to a 10-5 deficit. In the end, Canada dominated the paint through their sheer size advantage and limited Team USA to just 12 points. Powers was Team USA’s highest scorer with five points, while Johnson added four.

Apart from the rather underwhelming finals display, Team USA had positive outings in the AmeriCup. The Americans began their campaign with a 21-7 win over Colombia, with Taylor leading the way with 12 points. They followed up with a dominant 21-4 victory against the Cayman Islands. Johnson scored eight points, while Powers added six as Team USA easily finished first in Pool B.

However, the knockout stages offered a tougher test. The Americans faced Paraguay in the quarterfinals and had to work for their 21-18 victory. While James and Powers scored six points each, Taylor stepped up big time to score the final six points for Team USA, including the game-winning basket, to keep their title defense alive.

The semifinal against Cuba proved another challenging matchup. Although the Americans initially established a comfortable 6-1 lead, Cuba fought back and made the contest competitive. With the game at 17-15 thanks to a James two-pointer, Taylor once again took charge at the end. She scored a two-pointer of her own, and followed it with a reverse layup game-winner. The Chicago Sky guard scored 10 points and was added to the women’s team of the tournament alongside Canada’s Michelle Plouffe and Colombia’s Yuliany Paz.

Speaking of Plouffe, the 34-year-old was the heart of Canada and deservedly won women’s MVP. As the tournament’s standout performer, Plouffe led the competition in both player value (49.8) and total points (41). She also topped the charts in offensive rebounds (12) and one-pointers made (23), while finishing third in blocks with three. Her consistent scoring in the knockout rounds, including eight points in the Quarter-Final against Chile, 11 in the Semi-Final against Colombia, and nine more in the final, helped Canada successfully overcome the ghosts of their past in Team USA to win their third gold medal in the format, matching the Americans’ record.

“It was super fun to come out here with my teammates and give it our everything and play for something bigger than ourselves,” Plouffe said. Moreover, Canada’s
Paige Crozon believes the victory and recognition will provide them with a valuable boost as the team looks ahead to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

For next year, though, El Salvador will have another opportunity to host the continent’s best 3×3 talent following an eventful edition that saw Canada reclaiming their throne, Team USA falling back to silver, and Colombia securing its first-ever AmeriCup medal.

Tori McKinney and Team USA claimed the gold medal at the 2026 Women’s Under-23 3×3 FIBA World Cup early Saturday morning, defeating Canada 15-10. It’s the second time that the Team USA women have won gold (2024 being the first time) in the competition that was founded in 2018. In addition, McKinney was named the MVP of the Women’s U23 FIBA World Cup.

The United States entered the competition as the 4th seed out of 20 teams, making them the top seed of Pool D. McKinney and the team began pool play 3-0, which clinched advancement to the bracket stage, before opting to forfeit the final game to Australia to rest and prepare for a championship run the next day.

The bracket stage unfolded during the wee hours of Saturday morning. In the quarterfinals Team USA defeated the Netherlands 21-17, a performance that was followed by a 21-16 victory over Spain in the semifinals. That led to a showdown with Canada in the gold medal game, the team that the USA would have faced had they played and beaten Australia to make a clean sweep of Pool D.

The gold medal game was a low scoring affair, a mix of strong defense and fatigue for the players in their third game of the day. 

Team USA was one of the strongest defensive teams in the tournament, with the lowest points allowed per game of any team that advanced to the bracket stage. McKinney played a key role in that defensive performance as Team USA’s tallest and longest defender, taking advantage of that length to tally blocks in both the semifinal and gold medal games.

McKinney was stellar offensively as well, averaging more than 5 points per game as Team USA’s second leading scorer. She turned it up when things mattered most, too, leading the team in scoring in the last two games of the tournament.

Latvia beat Team USA 19-17 in the quarterfinals of the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup on Saturday in Wuhan, China, ending Eric Dailey Jr.’s run at a fourth gold medal. The UCLA senior forward, who averaged 11.6 points and a team-leading 5.8 rebounds last season, was one of four Americans on the roster.

Team USA qualified by going 18-0 at the Nations League Americas North in Ñuñoa, Chile in July. They came in as two-time medalists at this event, gold in 2023 and silver in 2024, with Tavaras Hardy coaching.

The Americans went 2-2 in Pool D and reached the quarterfinals, opening with a 21-14 win over Argentina, losing to Korea 21-14, beating China 21-17 and losing to Lithuania 21-14.

Alex Fudge went down with a knee injury after the opener and Team USA finished the tournament with three healthy players while most of the field had four. Dailey took every rep of the last four games. 3×3 runs on a 12-second shot clock with almost no stoppages, and one more player to rotate in makes a huge difference. Both pool days were doubleheaders, with about two and a half hours between games.

Dailey finished with 28 points and 21 rebounds over five games. Games go to 21 points in the 3×3 format, and he had 8 in the opener against Argentina.

Dailey is down 10 pounds and weighs 224. He spent two weeks in China focused on his diet, drinking tons of water and training. He returns to Westwood in time for fall camp lighter, sharper and coming off live reps against international competition.

Dailey is in midseason form, and I expect an all conference type season at the four for the Bruins. 

SEATTLE – In her first WNBA season, Flau’jae Johnson became the first rookie to accrue over 600 points, 200 rebounds, 100 assists, and 50 steals. 

That success has now led to the Seattle Storm guard being selected to represent Team USA on the 2026 FIBA AmeriCup 3×3 roster.

The backstory:

USA Basketball announced the selections for the men’s and women’s rosters on Friday for the 2026 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup, which is scheduled to take place from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Johnson was one of four women selected to Team USA’s women’s roster, alongside Aziaha James, Aerial Powers and Sydney Taylor.

The selection marks Johnson’s second time representing the United States in FIBA competition within the last two years. In 2025, she won a gold medal as part of the women’s team that won the 5×5 FIBA AmeriCup tournament.

Christina Batastini will serve as the head coach. She won a gold medal coaching the 3×3 women’s AmeriCup team in 2025.

By the numbers:

Johnson put together a solid season in her first WNBA campaign, averaging nearly 15 points a game (14.9), to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

She also set multiple rookie records for the Seattle Storm, including points (626), 25+ point games (6), steals (58), field goals made (221), three-pointers made (60), and minutes played (1,204).

Johnson was drafted eighth overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft by the Golden State Valkyries before she was traded to Seattle later that night for Marta Suárez and a 2028 second-round pick.

What is the FIBA AmeriCup?

Dig deeper:

The FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup brings together national men’s and women’s basketball teams to compete in a 3-on-3 format.

FIBA stands for Fédération Internationale de Basketball, which translates to International Basketball Federation in English.

The event has been held annually since 2021 and features teams from the Americas, which includes North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The event was held in Miami in 2021 and 2022 before it hosted by Puerto Rico in 2023 and 2024. Last year it was held in Mexico.

On the men’s side, Team USA has won gold every year except for 2023, when Puerto Rico took the top spot. The women’s team won gold in 2021, 2023, and 2025.

How to watch the FIBA AmeriCup

What’s next:

The event runs from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 and can be watched live on YouTube.

Johnson will take the court with Team USA on Oct. 31 after the qualifying rounds. 

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The schedule is set; pools are in place and so is the US Team for the 3×3 Women’s AmeriCup 2026. The defending champions are sending their best four for the tournament, all with WNBA experience, to San Salvador, El Salvador, to bring the title home. One of them tasked with the job is Flau’jae Johnson, who felt blessed with the opportunity. 

“Blessings All Glory To God,” Johnson wrote on X, replying to a post by the Seattle Storm’s social media page that broke the news to the WNBA fans. 

This is Flau’jae Johnson’s first time representing the US team in a 3×3 competition, but not in AmeriCup. Previously, she was part of Team USA that won a gold medal at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup.

The former LSU guard also just wrapped a successful rookie season with the Storm. The Golden State Valkyries selected the 2023 NCAA champion 8th overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft. She was traded the same night to the Storm, where she averaged 14.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 40.2% from the field. 

Head coach Sonia Raman showed deep trust in her rookie, inserting her in the starting lineup. Johnson didn’t disappoint. Flau’jae Johnson was second among all rookies in points and rebounds per game. 

The Americans have selected the ‌four players to shut down the latest challenge to their regional supremacy. The other three names on the list released by the US team serve their purpose of regional dominance in basketball. Aerial Powers, Sydney Taylor and Aziaha James were the other three names on the list.

James, the second-year guard from the Dallas Wings, will make her first appearance in a national team jersey. 11-year veteran and WNBA champion Powers is the oldest name on the roster and comes with ample experience. She was part of the 2026 women’s team at the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series. 

“Honored to represent my country at the 2026 AmeriCup,” Powers wrote in her IG Story after the official announcement.

Taylor also comes with a lot of international experience. She was part of the 3×3 national team at the 3×3 Women’s Series in back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, she was also part of the USA 3×3 Nations League Team.   

Christina Batastini, who led Team USA to a gold medal at last year’s 3×3 Women’s AmeriCup, will lead the team as ‌head coach. Batastini has led multiple national 3×3 teams to success in the past. This year, she led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2026 FIBA 3×3 Women’s World Cup. She also led the US team to a bronze medal at the 2026 FIBA 3×3 Women’s Champions Cup. Batastini has also coached the US team at the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series.

The US women’s team won gold medals in 2021, 2023, and 2025. A deeper roster with ample WNBA experience should give them an edge over their competitors. The Americans will have two more teams with them in Pool B. Aside from the Cayman Islands, the winner of Qualifying Draw A between Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia will be in Pool B. 

Last year, the US team defeated Brazil in the gold medal game for the third championship title. But it is Canada that remains the biggest threat to their regional dominance. In 2024, they lost to Canada in the gold medal game, and in 2022, the Canadians took them out in the semifinals.

The Americans will start their gold medal campaign at‌ 5:50 p.m. ET on Oct. 31 against the winner of Qualifying Draw A. They will then play the Cayman Islands at 9:20 p.m. ET on the same day.

WARSAW (Poland) – History was made at the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2026 as Team Grabo emerged victorious in the inaugural Dunk Mania contest, bringing a new level of excitement and entertainment to 3×3 basketball’s flagship event. The groundbreaking competition, introduced for the first time at this year’s FIBA 3×3 World Cup, showcased some of the world’s most creative and athletic dunkers in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Warsaw.

Leading the winning squad was hometown favorite Piotr “Grabo” Grabowski, who thrilled fans with his trademark aerial artistry. Joining him on the championship team were Chen “Dunk King” Deng Xing of China and Dmitry “Smoove” Krivenko of Ukraine, creating a trio that combined experience, creativity and showmanship throughout the contest.

Dunk Mania marked a fresh evolution of the FIBA 3×3 World Cup entertainment program, moving beyond the traditional individual dunk contest format and introducing a team-based spectacle designed to engage fans and celebrate the culture of 3×3 basketball.

As the curtain falls on its debut edition, Dunk Mania has established itself as an exciting addition to the FIBA 3×3 events offerings and a celebration of the creativity that continues to define 3×3 basketball.

FIBA

The FIBA 3×3 World Tour Macau 2026 concluded Sunday evening at the Ruins of St. Paul’s, with Serbia’s world number-one team, Ub, crowned champion.

For this year’s edition, the Macau leg is a key event in the race to qualify for the World Tour Finals and for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

It brought together 16 top teams from around the world to compete for the championship, with a total prize pool of MOP1.5 million.

Following the qualification matches and group stage, the proceedings kicked off with Ub (Serbia), Skyliners (Germany), Shanghai (China) and Miami (USA) winning their quarter-final matches against DeQing (China), Amsterdam RABOBANK (Netherlands), Taipei WanBao (Chinese Taipei) and Cotai WOLFUNITED (Macao, China), respectively.

In the semi-finals, Ub overcame Skyliners 21-15, while Shanghai defeated Miami 21-18.

In the final, Ub and Shanghai delivered an exciting match.

Shanghai took the lead early, but Ub adjusted and connected on a series of outside shots, eventually winning 21-15 to claim the championship. Ub’s Marko Brankovic was also named the Most Valuable Player.

The event also featured a Shoot-Out Contest and a Dunk Contest. Toni Blazan of Team Vienna (Austria) won the Shoot-Out Contest, while Piotr Grabowski of Poland took home the Dunk Contest award.

After the World Tour concluded, the basketball week continues with the 3×3 GBA Tour 2026 – Finals Macao, which will run through October 21. The women’s competition closes today, and the men’s finals are tomorrow. The event will be held simultaneously at the Ruins of St. Paul’s and the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion.

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