Canyon Barry on the brotherhood of USA 3x3 basketball and how Paris can help 'amplify' the sport - Exclusive
Basketball has always been a family affair for American Canyon Barry, who says he considers his USA 3x3 basketball teammates to be "like brothers."
"I'm really excited for Paris 2024 with the group of guys that we have," Barry told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview last month. "They've become like brothers to me and a family, and there's no one else I'd rather be there playing three-on-three with."
They've bonded through collective struggle, with the Team USA men having just missed out on qualifying for Tokyo 2020 in 2021 after Barry suffered an injury that sidelined him.
Three years later, the U.S. are out for revenge.
"It was a big disappointment... but ultimately it wasn't meant to be," Barry says of their shortcoming in 2021.
"We didn't make Tokyo and decided to double down on the effort and recommit to the cause and [we're] fortunate enough to have it work out this time around and be able to compete in the Olympics."
The U.S. men won silver at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup last year in Vienna, before capturing gold at the Pan American Games in October. Barry, Jimmer Fredette, and Kareem Maddox will be joined by Dylan Travis as the USA eye the top of the Olympic podium after their misstep three years ago.
Canyon Barry: Paris will help 'amplify' 3x3
Canyon Barry is the son of legendary NBA player John Barry and Lynn Norenberg Barry, a former player who helped lead USA women's basketball in the early 1990s, while also helping with the formation of the modern-day WNBA.
He is a forever student of the sport, and remembers having spent much of his childhood around the legendary females of the game via his mother's leadership role.
"I grew up around some great women's basketball players like Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley," Barry explained.
"I saw [then] what it meant to them to represent what I think is the greatest country in the world, and then to have that come full circle and now have the opportunity myself to go to Paris and compete is an amazing experience and something that I definitely won't forget."
Barry sees 3x3 basketball arriving at its second Olympics with an opportunity to reach a much wider audience, akin to the banner 2024 year that the women's game has had as collegiate stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have joined WNBA rosters.
"Watching women's college hoops and everything that has happened this year with the growth at that level, you have amazing athletes that are coming up and adding to the already incredible athletes in the WNBA and the legacy there," he explained, calling out the likes of newcomers Clark and Reese.
"I'm really excited for the growth of women's basketball and women's sports in general. And I think Paris is only going to amplify that and continue to grow it."
It's the same opportunity for the 3x3 game, which Barry said continues to enjoy massive popularity on the global stage but needs more bounce in North America. He said he's watched other Olympic "sophomore" sports like surfing, breaking, and sport climbing continue to bring in new fans, too.
"I think all those events are going to be super hot ticket items in Paris," Barry said, adding: "And hopefully [the Olympics] will help garner more attention and bring more awareness to those sports."
Barry on being an Olympian - and a fan: I'll be 'cheering loudly'
Barry, who played NCAA basketball at both the College of Charleston and University of Florida, says Pan Ams gave the U.S. men just a taste for what the Olympics will feel like.
He is an avid golfer, so says he'll seek out any Olympians for tips on his swing, and is also excited to take in the surfing, though that will be from afar with the event taking place in Tahiti.
It's just the Olympic vibes that Barry, 30, feels most excited about.
"The best part is probably going to be off the court in terms of interacting with all the different athletes that are at the pinnacle of their sport," he said.
"At Pan-Ams, we became tight with the U.S. racquetball team," he added, smiling. "And it's like, you know, I've never watched a racquetball game in my life, but going there and cheering loudly and trying to support those other athletes, it was a really cool experience.
"And I think it's going to be ten-fold in Paris."
It comes some 30 years after his mother helped the U.S. women win gold at Atlanta 1996, the start of a streak that is still alive today. Barry pulls from that legacy of excellence - and hopes to help start a new one for the U.S. 3x3 men in Paris.