James Harden Could Dominate in the 3-on-3 Basketball Olympic Event

There is some new and exciting news in the basketball world today.

Something that has been wanted by fans for many years now. That something is that there will be a 3-on-3 basketball event in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Many NBA stars, including James Harden, could make this event very entertaining.

It’s official!

3-on-3 basketball will be an Olympic event for the 2020 Tokyo Games https://t.co/OOehq7VS4g pic.twitter.com/B0AqAlL2Vu

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 9, 2017

This event will bring a new perspective on the televised game of basketball, and it will be a much-watch in a few years. The Olympics, of course, already has a regular basketball tournament to decide which country gets the gold, but this experience will be much different. 3-on-3 basketball is one of the most popularly played games in the world, so it is nice to see it recognized on the big stage with the best players in the world.

The decision to include this event arguably stems from the new BIG3 League. This league of former NBA players debuts this summer in a few weeks and is similar to the upcoming Olympic sport. We may have league owner Ice Cube to thank for this 3-on-3 event. Bleacher Report mentioned the potential effects of the BIG3 League in their article on the new Olympic Event.

"“There’s also the BIG3 factor. Later this month the new professional 3-on-3 league, which was created by Ice Cube and will feature players such as , and , will begin playing every Sunday throughout the summer. Could this whet the 3-on-3 Olympic appetite for any of these past stars?” Allen Iverson Chauncey Billups Jermaine O’Neal"

Participation

One main question remains with the news of this event: who will play? It is possible for anyone, not just NBA players, to participate in the sport. Would more streetball-type players try to represent their country? Would NBA players risk potential injury for even more USA Basketball participation? Many stars already sit out the Olympics, so this event may not be as star-studded as it seems. But let’s imagine that NBA players do want to play because some, including Houston Rockets superstar James Harden, could dominate.

Harden Domination

James Harden is a player whose strengths are fit for 3-on-3 basketball. He’s pretty good at regular basketball too, I’d say, but having him feed on lesser competition from other countries in this setting would be a spectacle to behold. Having him run the offense with two other stars would almost be too easy. In 2020, James Harden will be 30 years old, so much of his explosiveness will still exist. It would be beyond fun to watch him in the faster-paced game of 3-on-3 basketball.

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The reality of this new Olympic sport is that many of the stars we want to see will likely not participate. Whether or not they do play, it is still fun to dream of the scenarios that could occur. One of the interesting, yet very highly unlikely, scenarios would be a James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant, reunion. The possibilities of teams for this 3-on-3 Olympic event are endless.

*Source: Bleacher Report*