PARIS -- Worthy de Jong made the switch to 3x3 basketball after a long career in 5x5 play because he'd lost his joy for the game. Now he's an Olympic gold medalist. De Jong's 2-pointer in overtime lifted the Netherlands to an 18-17 win over France and the gold medal in men's 3x3 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 up with a 1-point basket.
De Jong then stepped back and drained a 2 to close out overtime, where the first team to score two points wins. The almost exclusively pro-France crowd fell quiet as de Jong was mobbed by his teammates. De Jong also stepped up in regulation, too.
He scored with 27 seconds left before driving into the lane for a layup with one second to go, tying it at 16. He had seven points for the Netherlands. He hopes the success of the team will lead to more interest in basketball in his country.
"Before 3x3 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 cut the lead to one on a layup with 52 seconds to go in regulation, but a basket by Franck Seguela pushed France.