The U.S. men’s debut in Olympic 3×3 basketball at the Paris Games was one to forget.
The Americans fell to Serbia, 22-14, on Tuesday night in their opening game of the 2024 Olympics after failing to qualify for the Tokyo Games.
Marko Brankovic had eight points and Strahinja Stojacic added seven, including a 2-pointer that ended it with 2:34 remaining, to lead Serbia, the bronze medal finisher in Tokyo.
Team USA allowed a 12-4 run to end the game.
The Americans brought in former NBA player Jimmer Fredette after not qualifying for the last Olympics, with Team USA senior advisor and former St. John’s coach Fran Fraschilla leading the press, per Yahoo.
Fredette starred at BYU before spending six seasons in the NBA spanning 2011-19, including two games with the Knicks in the 2015-16 season and a final campaign with the Suns in the 2018-19 season.
But he managed just four points in the rout.
“As soon as I heard ‘Olympics,’ I was like, ‘I’m all in,’” Fredette told Yahoo of joining the team. “I saw this as the opportunity of a lifetime.”
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American Kareem Maddox made a two-pointer with about three minutes remaining to cut the lead to 18-14, but Dejan Majstorovic tallied a two-point shot before Dylan Travis missed for the U.S. to set up Stojacic’s game-winning shot.
Serbia didn’t miss a one-point shot, making all 12 attempts, while the U.S. made just 10-of-16 of those opportunities, including an a miss by Fredette on a wide-open layup.
The Americans made just 2 of 6 two-point attempts and missed their lone free throw.
Maddox had six points to lead the United States.
Canyon Barry, who works as a scientist for a defense contractor, added two points and a rebound. He is the son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry.
Neither team talked to reporters after the game because of the threat of severe storms that were expected in the area.
Team USA is back in action Wednesday against Team Poland at 3:45 p.m. ET, before facing Lithuania and Latvia in pool round play Thursday.
The women’s team also suffered a setback in its first game, falling to Germany, 17-13.
College star Hailey Van Lith said she was sick during the game, although she still added six points.
— With AP