USA Basketball Foundation x RX3 Charity 3×3 Tournament Raises Over $1M

The USA Basketball Foundation and the RX3 Foundation, the philanthropic arm of RX3 Growth Partners, hosted the inaugural 3×3 charitable basketball tournament in Ladera Ranch, California, on Aug. 1. The growth equity firm was co-founded by NFL star Aaron Rodgers.

Headlining the eight-team tournament were USA Basketball legends and alumni Kevin Durant, Dawn Staley, Elene Delle Donne, Jimmer Fredette, Chris Bosh, Mitch Richmond and Darren Collison, who coached teams that made charitable contributions to enter the tourney and “draft” their celebrity coach.

Much to the crowd’s delight, Durant, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, took shots before the round-robin games kicked off, hitting some jumpers and layups as fans at Open Gym Premier crowded around snapping photos and clips.

“I mean we [have] got some retired, older coaches, man,” Durant said in response to being the only coach to get shots up. “I don’t know if they get up shots as much as I do, but it’s been fun being around some of the greats and great coaches. Even though Chet is a young guy around me, I’m sure he worked out before I got here. It’s great being around brilliant minds at a game of basketball, people who can chip into the game in a positive way.”

The event brought together USA Basketball athletes, coaches, business leaders, philanthropists, influencers and entrepreneurs for an action-packed day.

“The real magic isn’t the tournament itself, it’s the community behind it. When you bring together athletes, brands, investors, charity partners and families around a shared purpose, incredible things happen. That’s what the RX3 ecosystem is all about and we’re incredibly grateful to the USA Basketball Foundation for helping bring that vision to life,” said Nate Raabe, RX3 Growth Partners co-founder and managing partner.

The event benefited 12 charities, including the Durant Family Foundation, Elena Delle Donne Charitable Foundation, Fredette Family Foundation and others. More than $1 million was raised.

“My mom has done such a great job,” Durant said of his mother Wanda’s work on behalf of his foundation. “And my community at PG County, Maryland, we wanted to start there and bring something that can serve the kids in our community.”

The event built on the momentum of RX3’s charitable flag football tournament that celebrated its fifth year in the spring. The USA Basketball and RX3 Foundations announced a partnership in March, of which the 3×3 tournament would be the highlight. “We thought, let’s try to do it with a different twist, with the 3×3 component, and then how RX3 makes it about charity – all proceeds go toward charity,” shared Jennifer Williams, USA Basketball Foundation chief development officer.

The event brought out more than 1,000 fans to enjoy two courts of 3×3 basketball action and off-court sponsor activations from Therabody, Full Swing, Challenged Athletes Foundation and more.

Wheelchair basketball was also on display Saturday. Steve Serio, a four-time Paralympic wheelchair basketball medalist for the U.S., participated in a 3×3 wheelchair basketball game during the tournament’s halftime.

Team Sonance Cares, coached by Richmond and rostering 13-year NFL veteran Keenan Allen, won the inaugural championship. Team Full Swing coached by Della Donne came in second.

While the tournament helped raise money and brought together ecstatic fans of all ages to see Durant, Bosh, Holmgren, Staley and others, another objective emphasized is the continued goal of growing the game of 3×3 in the United States.

“Getting eyes on the game of 3×3, not many people have seen it,” Delle Donne spoke about the purpose. “It’s an Olympic sport, but to get more people involved in the game of 3×3 and loving it is really cool to see.”

3×3 competition is on the younger side of the basketball world and debuted at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. USA Basketball continues to build its competitive and recreational pipelines by competing in FIBA-sanctioned competitions and introducing initiatives like 3X Play, which debuted earlier this year.

“We are trying to get people to start playing earlier, which is why it’s important to have the youth out here seeing the game,” Williams said.

Williams emphasized that this event was not meant as a one-off and the plan is to continue building on it.

“The goal is for it to run through LA28,” Williams said. “We want to keep building up that buzz. We want to show people and expose them to 3×3. We want to win in LA, of course, and we want people to start playing the game.”