3-on-3 Basketball at the 2016 Olympics? Bring It

Let’s be honest, 5-on-5 basketball can get boring. Too many people on the court leads to frequent passing, layups and long jumpers that don’t have the same moxie as a well-timed alley-oop or monstrous slam dunk. That could all change in 2016.

FIBA (the International Basketball Federation) is making a push to bring basketball back to the driveways in the Rio Olympics. 3-on-3 basketball could make its way into the summer games, and I could not be more excited. Why would it be more exciting? Here is the simple math:

Fewer players = more court = more room for “HOLY EFF! DID YOU JUST SEE THAT!” dunks.

Some might be skeptical of whether a 3-on-3 tournament would fit in with the summer games, but beach volleyball was also a fringe sport when it started in 1996 Olympic games. Since then the sport has become one of the main events at the games with megastars like Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh. The difference here is that the sport already has highly recognizable names like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. If the 3-on-3 tournament is anything like the beach volleyball then it could easily become one of the most popular sports at the Olympics. Also, if it is anything like beach volleyball then expect to see a lot more of Lebron James wearing a bikini.

If that doesn’t get you excited then I guarantee this 3-on-3 basketball promo will:

Eitan Levine is a New York City based comic. Follow him on Twitter at @Eitanthegoalie .