- "Historic Night": Olympic gold brings 3x3 to the limelight
With gold around their necks, the 3x3 Olympic champions paraded from the Place de la Concorde into the Parisian night. Overwhelmed by the historic and completely unexpected basketball triumph, Svenja Brunckhorst, Sonja Greinacher, Marie Reichert, and Elisa Mevius initially didn't know how to properly celebrate this week of their lives.
The festivities began on the court with a group photo with Dirk Nowitzki, the German basketball legend. "He's the German basketball icon. Our eyes sparkled. It's a nice memory," said Brunckhorst.
The photo with the national icon remained an additional memento of a memorable coronation from nothing. However, a cozy beer in a pub was no longer an option for the 46-year-old. Nowitzki had to leave his Olympic guest appearance before midnight with a shuttle.
First Olympic medal in basketball
Meanwhile, Brunckhorst, Greinacher, Reichert, and Mevius celebrated their success in a small circle, which was also historic for the German Basketball Association (DBB). The association had never won an Olympic medal before, and until the start of the Paris Games, no German basketball player had ever participated in the Olympics.
And now, gold. "This is a historic night for German basketball and for the players who have represented Germany excellently and created moments for eternity," said President Ingo Weiss. The four gold-medal-winning basketball players returned to the Olympic village in the early morning hours.
Neureuther dances on the press tribune
The dramatic final with a happy ending against Spain brought attention to the trend sport like never before in Germany. Nowitzki and IOC President Thomas Bach were on site, and in Germany, the game was broadcast in the main program of ZDF at 10:00 PM, reaching a large audience.
The reactions to the coup went far beyond basketball. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and former football star Toni Kroos congratulated via social media. Felix Neureuther, an ARD expert in Paris, spontaneously danced with handball player Pascal Hens on the press tribune and celebrated the gold medal like a goal in a football stadium.
"Still in its infancy"
With the Olympic boost, the goal is now to ensure that 3x3 is not only prominent again in 2028 in Los Angeles. "That was a big goal, to make 3x3 more popular. It's still in its infancy. The tournament showed what a cool sport this is," said Greinacher, who scored the winning shots against Spain and Canada.
The basketball variant has proven itself in the Olympic program. The lively arena at the Place de la Concorde offered exciting games and numerous highlights, particularly appealing to young audiences who could get close to the players. Stars like LeBron James made an appearance and enjoyed the unique atmosphere live.
Dream year for women's basketball
Germany's basketball women are experiencing a dream year in 2024. Both the indoor team and the 3x3 selection qualified for the Olympics for the first time. The first medal has been secured, and the team led by coach Lisa Thomaidis is still in the running, facing host France in the quarterfinals on Wednesday (6:00 PM). The increased importance was already evident before the Olympics, when Chancellor Olaf Scholz received both indoor national teams in Berlin.
Brunckhorst, Greinacher, Reichert, and Mevius even had a head start on NBA multimillionaires Nowitzki and Dennis Schröder since Monday evening: an Olympic medal. "It's great that it's a women's team that won this medal. It's special, it's historic," said Brunckhorst, who played her last Olympic game and is now retiring from her active career. The brief anger over not being allowed to play for the women's national team had faded.
Expert analysis had deemed their medal potential low
The little-known 3x3 national coach Samir Suliman raved about the evening, which became even more special thanks to Nowitzki. "Dirk is unfathomable, even for the players. He's there, he hugged them all. He's the greatest basketball player of all time in Germany. If he's there live when you become an Olympic champion as a player, what could be bigger?" said Suliman.
Like the men's World Cup gold last year, the 3x3 quartet defied the PotAS system, which had ranked the basketball players last among summer sports federations. The analysis is part of the high-performance sports reform, aiming to distribute federal funding more based on expected success and medal chances. After the World Cup, the commission defended the ranking, stating that while the men led by Schröder had high potential, this did not apply to the women and 3x3 teams. Since Monday evening, millions of viewers know better.
Marie Reichert, being part of the 3x3 Olympic champions, was initially overwhelmed by the historic and unexpected basketball triumph. Following their success, Marie and her team celebrated in a small circle, making this a historic night for both German basketball and the players who represented Germany excellently.
