This is the first I have heard of such a thing, but I like the outside the box thinking by Secretary-general of FIBA, Patrick Baumann. Baumann is lobbying to have three-on-three basketball included in the next Summer Olympics in 2016. The theory may sound intriguing, but I would be very surprised if this actually happens.
According to the USA Today:
FIBA wants to create a comprehensive ranking system that would determine the best three-on-three teams in the world. FIBA already has a three-on-three world tour and world championship, but Baumann welcomed all three-on-three tournaments, such as Gus Macker and Hoop It Up, into the fold as long as those tournaments adhered to FIBA rules, including the registration of players in a database to chart wins and losses.
“Like volleyball has beach volleyball, swimming has synchronized swimming, we want three-on-three to be part of it,” Baumann said.
After rankings determine the top teams worldwide, Baumann said, each nation would be responsible for creating a format to determine which team it would send to the Olympics.
Baumann reasoned that three-on-three would allow more countries to experience the Olympics and help FIBA expand basketball’s global popularity. He said smaller basketball nations regularly send teams to the three-on-three world championship.
“We’ve chosen three-on-three as being one way of bringing that community into the Games,” he said. “For us, this is also really about growing the mass of players on a grass-roots basis. We want them to be part of the family and hopefully have new talents for the game.”
