Kelsey Plum, Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray and Katie Lou Samuelson, who helped the United States qualify for the inaugural 3×3 Olympic competition in women’s basketball, will represent the U.S. at the Tokyo Games next month.
The four WNBA players will all be participating in their first Olympics.
“These four players not only are outstanding athletes, but they will be excellent representatives for our country in this new Olympic discipline,” USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said. “All four have significant USA Basketball experience and most recently won the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifier, which earned this 3×3 berth to Tokyo.”
Plum plays for the Las Vegas Aces, Dolson for the Chicago Sky, Gray for the Dallas Wings and Samuelson for the Seattle Storm.
All four players were in the U.S. 5-on-5 national team pool, but were chosen instead for the new Olympic discipline.
The team qualified for the Olympics by winning a tournament in Austria. The men’s 3×3 team didn’t qualify for the Olympics.
There will be seven teams joining the U.S. in Tokyo — China, Mongolia, Romania, Russia, France, Japan and Italy.
The 3×3 game is played on a half court with a 12-second shot clock and the winner is the first team to score 21 points or to be leading at the end of a 10-minute period. Baskets inside the arc are worth one point and shots outside it are worth two.
The team will train in Las Vegas before traveling to Tokyo.
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