PHOENIX – Friday’s WNBA All-Star festivities marked the first-ever 3×3 showcase in league history, and the duel was more demanding than the common eye may think.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“I wouldn’t say looser,” Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby said when asked if the three-on-three game felt easier. “Three-on-three is much more physical, a lot faster paced. I average 35 minutes in the WNBA, and I’m still not in great shape to play three-on-three. It’s just different. The physicality, the toughness and roughness. You just have to play with it, it takes a toll on you.”
Dearica Hamby (@dearicamarie) spoke on how physically demanding 3×3 basketball could be compared to 5×5:
"It's just different. The physicality, the toughness and roughness. You just have to play with it, it takes a toll on you."#WNBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/oER8CZltzb
— Burn City Mercury (@BurnCityMercury) July 20, 2024
The Olympic team, consisting of Hamby, Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), Hailey Van Lith (TCU) and Cierra Burdick (overseas) overcame the U23 squad by a score of 19-16. The rules of the exhibition state that the first team to 21 points wins the contest — but if neither team can reach that mark within 10 minutes, the team with the most points wins.
The U23 team consisted of Christina Dalce (Maryland), Morgan Maly (Creighton), Cotie McMahon (Ohio State), Lucy Olsen (Iowa), Mikaylah Williams (LSU), and Serah Williams (Wisconsin).
Three-on-three Olympic basketball debuted during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where Team USA came home with a gold medal in tow. This opportunity to play an exhibition allowed players to gain chemistry ahead of the imminent 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It’s putting a new team together,” Hamby said. “Using every day as a way to build chemistry. It wasn’t perfect, but just being able to compete out there with each other and go through a little bit of adversity.”
“All credit to U23 for helping us get ready,” Howard said. “They gave us some good looks, and we’re going to see that type of stuff when we go to Paris.”
With four less players on the floor, players have more room to operate within a half-court set during three-on-three action. This provides an easier way for players to control the pace, easily translatable to five-on-five.
“It helps with my pace,” Howard said when asked about how the extra space on the floor helps her game. “I don’t try to get too sped up, and when you see a shorter shot clock, when you see less time on the clock, you tend to. Being able to stay mentally strong, mentally tough and being able to make the right play all the time. It’s very helpful.”
WATCH: Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Kahleah Copper preview Team USA, All-Star weekend, much more
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Justin LaCertosa covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @LaCertosaSports
