Is 3x3 the future of women’s basketball? Spokane Hoopfest shows how it could be.
This weekend's Hoopfest in downtown Spokane, Wash., features a women’s 3x3 league called 3x3BA. The league has signed Neumann Goretti grad Diamond Johnson and Philly native Natalie Kucowski.
When Natalie Kucowski graduated from Lafayette College, she had her sights set on a professional basketball career. She entered her name in the 2021 WNBA draft and was selected 35th overall by the Seattle Storm, but was waived during training camp.
“I didn’t make the team,” said Kucowski, a Philly native who graduated from Saint Basil Academy in Jenkintown, which is now closed. “But I went to training camp, and it brought the joy back to basketball. I learned so much and got to compete against the best players in the world.”
It was there, at training camp in Seattle, that Kucowski met Alanna McDonald, the cofounder and president of 3XBA, a premier professional women’s FIBA 3x3 tour and youth development.
At the time, McDonald was building Force 10 3x3, the first privately-owned professional 3x3 women’s basketball team in the United States. Kucowski joined Force 10’s 3x3 pilot program and competed overseas in the summer of 2022.
“That was my first experience with 3x3 basketball,” Kucowski said. “I immediately fell in love.”
Since then, Kucowski has been doing both traditional, five-on-five basketball and 3x3 competitions. She enjoys the fast pace of 3x3, and the friendships she has built among the community is comforting to come back to.
“I love meeting up with all of the friends that I’ve made from 3x3,” Kucowski said. “It’s like a little summertime reconnection, and we get to check up on everyone and see how everyone’s doing.”
Each year, nearly half of the WNBA draftees are waived before rosters are finalized. Rosters are held to 12 players per team, and without a developmental league, there are only 156 spots total to compete for. From skilled veterans, overseas players, and rising talent coming out of college, women basketball players often have to turn to leagues other than the WNBA — and some of those include 3x3 teams.
This weekend, from Friday to Saturday, 3XBA is hosting a Pro Women’s FIBA 3x3 tournament at Spokane Hoopfest, the largest outdoor 3x3 basketball event in the world, in downtown Spokane, Wash. The tournament plays by Olympic rules — a half court, a 12-second shot clock, and 10-minute games.
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The league has signed 32 players for Hoopfest, many of whom are coming off of being waived from WNBA teams.
One of those players is Diamond Johnson, who starred at Neumann Goretti High School and Norfolk State. The guard was invited to the Minnesota Lynx training camp this year but didn’t make the final roster. She recently signed with Hefei in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association, but first she’s heading to Spokane.
“I still want to play basketball,” Johnson said. “[My agents and I] were just looking for the most competitive leagues. 3x3 is another opportunity outside of the WNBA, Unrivaled, other leagues, for women to showcase their talent.”
Johnson reached out to her agents about Spokane Hoopfest and playing 3x3. She believes the style will help her play faster, attack the hoop better, and collaborate more with her teammates.
“It provides opportunities for us to play basketball in the U.S.,” Johnson added. “It was a perfect time for me to compete. We were on it the minute we found out about it.”
3XBA is also a way for players to earn FIBA points, the system used to select Olympic teams. As the only FIBA-sanctioned 3x3 league in the U.S., competing in competitions like Hoopfest is how American players can qualify for the Olympics without going overseas.
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The winning team of Hoopfest gets a bid in the FIBA Women’s Series event in Edmonton in August.
Kucowski has been competing on a 3x3 FIBA team in Romania, which travels to different countries on the FIBA Women’s Series Tour. She said the opportunity to compete in Spokane Hoopfest was too good to pass up, both for her personal growth and the growth of the 3x3BA.
“Alanna’s trying to grow 3x3 in the U.S.,” Kucowski said. “As it grows, we can just create more opportunities for women to play against high competition, provide more opportunities, more exposure, and just continue to grow the sport.
“I’m hoping all the women that are new to 3x3 this summer enjoy it as much as I do.”