Worthy de Jong switched to 3×3 basketball after a long career in 5×5 play because he had lost his passion for the game. Now he’s an Olympic gold medalist.
De Jong’s 2-pointer in overtime helped the Netherlands beat France 18-17 and win the gold medal in men’s 3×3 at the Paris Games on Monday night.
“I started to feel like that kid that fell in love with basketball all over again,” he said. “So to go from there to this right now, that just shows that if you work hard and if you enjoy what you do, a lot of things are possible.”
Timothe Vergiat put France ahead with a 1-point basket. De Jong then stepped back and scored a 2-pointer to end overtime, where the first team to score two points wins.
The crowd, which was mostly cheering for France, grew quiet as de Jong was celebrated by his teammates.
De Jong also made important plays during regulation. He scored with 27 seconds left and then made a layup with 1 second to go, tying the game at 16.
He scored seven points for the Netherlands. He hopes the team’s success will spark more interest in basketball in his country.
“Before 3×3 basketball, we were never in a position to make it to the Olympics or even make it to a world championship,” de Jong said. “So to be here and get a gold medal, I hope it shows how beautiful the sport is and inspires a lot of players and kids to go on this journey.”
Dimeo Van der Horst brought the Netherlands within one point with a layup with 52 seconds left in regulation, but Franck Seguela’s basket gave France a 16-14 lead.
Lucas Dussoulier and Seguela each scored five points for France, which won silver. The game was tied with about three minutes left when Vergiat found Jules Rambaut for an easy basket to put France ahead.
Dussoulier made 1 of 2 free throws to make it 13-11 a minute later. Arvin Slagter’s 2-pointer tied the game again with just over a minute remaining. Seguela made two free throws to give France a 15-13 lead with a minute left.
Sarunas Vingelis scored nine points to help Lithuania beat defending champion Latvia 21-18 and win the bronze medal. Latvia had won all seven of its pool games but lost twice on Monday and went home without a medal.
“We created history and I am very proud of my teammates,” Lithuania’s Gintautas Matulis said. “I am very happy, very excited, and we are going to celebrate for sure.”
France made it to the final by defeating Latvia 21-14. Dussoulier led France with nine points and seven rebounds.
Latvia came within three points with about two minutes left, but France finished strong with a 4-0 run.
“We lost because we cracked under the pressure,” Latvia’s Karlis Lasmanis said. “We were not ready for that. We won all the pool games and we thought it would be easier than it was.”
De Jong scored eight points to lead the Netherlands to a 20-6 victory over Lithuania, sending the team into the gold-medal game.
