DRIVING TO PARIS: Kareem Maddox drives to the hoop in a 2011 game during his senior season for the Princeton University men’s basketball team. Maddox made the U.S. men’s 3×3 team that has qualified to compete in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. (Photo by Stephen Goldsmith)

By Justin Feil

When Kareem Maddox started playing 3×3 basketball to further his playing career in 2017, he saw it in large part as an avenue to his Olympic dream.

That avenue had a speed bump when the United States and Maddox failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (that were held in 2021), but Maddox’s dream found a fast track three years later as a member of the U.S. men’s 3×3 team that has qualified and will compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“It’s huge,” said Maddox, a 2011 Princeton University graduate. “I’m just immensely proud of our team and the efforts we’ve had. The stuff we had to go through last year in order to get the job done. I feel like it was a huge accomplishment and it feels great.”

The U.S. was ranked second at the time of automatic qualifying for the Olympics with the top three teams getting the first bids. Qualifying for the Olympics has been ongoing from November 2022 to June 2024. Maddox was a part of the American group that did not qualify for 2020.

“I’m proud of it because it was a low point in a career, and I’m glad I made the decision to give it another try,” said Maddox. “Just with the renewed kind of sense of determination.”

Maddox was able to use the disappointment of the failure to make the Tokyo Games to help push him for this Olympiad’s qualifying.

“That was definitely at the forefront of my mind all last season as we were working to get the country automatically qualified for the Olympics,” said Maddox, a 6’8, 220-pound native of Los Angeles, Calif. “That (qualifying) tournament, but also all the experience that we’d had to that point kind of led into the preparation and how I thought about the game and what I felt like we needed to do in order to get the country automatically qualified. So that was definitely formative.”

Maddox was named in late March to Team USA along with Canyon Barry, Jimmer Fredette, and Dylan Travis. He and Barry played together three years ago, but the others are new additions to their group.

“We have a pretty unique style of play on the world stage because we’re a relatively new team and we have some different challenges,” said Maddox. “We don’t live in the same place. We don’t practice together. We do, but it’s very limited.”

Maddox is thrilled to have the opportunity to live out his dream, but he’s only focused on the games ahead. The U.S. opens the Olympics against Serbia on July 30. They play two games apiece on August 1 and August 2, and finish pool play on August 4.

“I haven’t really thought about it yet because the job’s not done yet,” said Maddox. “My thought process is very granular about how do we win each game. The opponents that we’re going to play are now set. The schedule is out and it’s about winning each of those seven games before the elimination round and just competing and making sure that we’re putting forth the effort and the strategy and the kind of the discipline and everything else that you know comes along with the game of basketball that we need to.”

The FIBA 3×3 game has its own rules that separate it from the 5×5 game most would recognize. Games are only half-court with the winner being the first team to 21 points or whichever team is ahead after 10 minutes. There are one-point shots or two-points from behind the international 3-point arc. The game is played outside, meaning the elements — especially wind — can come into play. A 12-second shot clock ensures the game moves fast. It starts the moment a team rebounds the basketball or takes the ball after a made basket.

“There’s open shots sometimes, but more often you’re making a tough shot,” said Maddox. “If I was playing at Princeton, it wouldn’t be a good shot. But in 3×3, we also have the shot clock and so it’s the best shot you’re going to get. And so are you shooting that with confidence, and everyone is kind of bought into their role and making all the hustle plays. That’s when we’re really good.”

Maddox can still rely on the skills that made him 2011 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year when the U.S. doesn’t have the ball, and he still utilizes the offensive mindset that became ingrained in him at Princeton. Paying attention to little details is hugely important to their success, just as it was when Maddox played for Princeton. The Americans have won international games a lot of different ways, but a normally successful formula includes half their points on 2-pointers and the rest on finishes at the basket whether on drives or off of cuts.

“To open up the perimeter in different ways, a lot of that is Princeton principles like back cutting, putting pressure on the rim without the ball,” said Maddox. “It’s not always about being a driver and attacking the basket. It’s about attacking the basket without the ball.”

Maddox’s Princeton background is something he covets. He may wear a Princeton shirt to practice in as a nod to the Tigers, but it’s his game that displays those roots.

“I think the Princeton footprint is on the court more than anything,” said Maddox. “I have Sydney Johnson in my head when I’m trying to convey the power of a good back cut. I think that the Princeton footprint, the Pete Carril footprint that got passed down through John Rogers as it relates to 3×3, is evident on the court. That’s good enough for me.”

Maddox looks to do a bit of everything on the court, something that has made him a valuable 3×3 player. He has worked to sustain those skills, though he’s now 34 years old. “I’m old,” he said with a laugh.

Being one of the older players – Fredette is a year older – on Team USA comes with obvious experience. But age can also be an obstacle, and Maddox has focused on his lifestyle and training to make sure he isn’t slowing down.

“That’s been probably the most challenging part in a good way,” said Maddox. “I’ve had to build habits that weren’t necessary 10 years ago in terms of diet, in terms of, ‘Am I getting in every day and paying as much attention to my body as I am my basketball skills? Am I maximizing my mind on the court in a sense?’ There’s guys that can play for a long time, and it’s not because of their athletic ability. It’s because they think the game, they’re smart and they impact winning. So I think the biggest change is probably just diving more into the strategy, the philosophy side of things and making sure that whenever I’m on the court that our team is better for it, and what I think is a big mental game, which has helped me kind of persist.”

Maddox has been gaining experience since returning to the court to pursue his Olympic dream. He’s proven valuable from his early days when he helped the U.S. win its first World Cup championship in 2019. Each opportunity to play 3×3 has been useful to him growing his knowledge of one of the newer Olympic sports. There have been challenges along the way, with one of the biggest being that Team USA isn’t together all the time and that’s always been a difficulty. The pandemic cut into their chance to build chemistry before the last Olympic qualifying cycle. For this cycle, the players tried to fix some of those holes.

“We spent all last year together,” said Maddox. “And we played on the professional circuit as a team. Definitely it wasn’t smooth sailing all last year. There was a learning curve. Jimmer’s new to the sport, and we just had to figure out what makes this team good as a team and more than the sum of its parts. That took some time.”

Maddox has made his statements through it all that he belongs on the team, that he does make it better. He has enjoyed having the opportunity to continue playing, but there’s plenty of basketball in his life outside of his own play. “All hoops all the time,” said Maddox.

Maddox balances his playing commitment around working on special projects for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Maddox had been focusing on journalism and was in podcast production before focusing on the 2020 Olympic pursuit. He started doing personnel, video work and scouting with the Timberwolves through a Princeton connection. Tim Connolly, Timberwolves president of operations, is the older brother of former Princeton University men’s basketball director of operations Dan Connolly.

“I hadn’t worked in the NBA,” said Maddox. “It hadn’t really been on my radar. But I knew I had this goal for the Olympics and told Tim that. He loved the story. Ultimately I was like, it’s probably not going to hurt to be in one of 30 of the highest level of basketball facilities in the world as I attempt to do this.”

Maddox has the chance to work with the team, which includes occasional scrimmaging against the bottom of the roster players for Minnesota as they try to stay game-ready. “I jumped in there a few times,” said Maddox. “Nothing crazy.”

Maddox also has been closely following the Princeton men’s team. He was there with a vocal Princeton contingent to root them on to the Sweet Sixteen two years ago and was at the Ivy League tournament this year. He’s been an even more ardent supporter since Tigers coach Mitch Henderson was one of the people that encouraged him to continue playing basketball as long as he could.
“It’s been awesome to see what’s happened there and how well Mitch has done,” said Maddox. “No matter who’s out there, that team is really, really good.”

Maddox is looking forward to his chance to play on the biggest stage. He’s been dreaming of playing in the Olympics for almost 30 years, and now it’s just four weeks away.

“The initial mission was to qualify,” said Maddox. “We got that done and then you know from there, I kind of turned my attention towards we’re getting the gold medal. That’s what time it is.”