With several sports making their Olympic debuts in Tokyo, 3x3 basketball was center stage as the tournament tipped off on Friday - and one Team USA player is already turning into a breakout star.
Kelsey Plum and Team USA won twice on Saturday, beating France 17-10 and then Mongolia 21-9. Plum scored 12 of the team's total 38 points.
The team returns to action late Saturday night and early Sunday morning (U.S. East Coast time) with matches against Romania and the Russian Olympic Committee.
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Who is on the U.S. Women's team's roster?
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The inaugural Team USA 3x3 roster is comprised of Chicago Sky center Stefanie Dolson, Dallas Wings guard Allisha Gray, Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum and Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young. Young was named a replacement for Seattle Storm guard Katie Lou Samuelson, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.
All four athletes are first-time Olympians, but each player has an extensive USA Basketball career, and they are looking to be the first ever Olympic gold medal women’s team in 3x3 basketball.
Kara Lawson, the women's basketball coach at Duke and a 2008 Olympic gold medalist, will coach the 3x3 women's team.
The U.S. men did not qualify for the Olympic debut of 3×3 basketball, marking the first time in history that the U.S. failed to qualify for an Olympic men’s or women’s basketball event.
U.S. TV coverage of Sunday's matches begins at 8 p.m. ET Saturday evening on CNBC.
