JOURNAL SPORTS
WARSAW, Poland – Bossier City’s Mikaylah Williams has an amazing golden touch.
Twice Sunday, the Parkway High product and current LSU star sank game-winning baskets to lift the USA Basketball Women’s 3×3 National Team to the gold medal at the 2026 FIBA 3×3 World Cup.
The Americans edged Australia, 21-20, on a 2-pointer (from 3-point distance in a standard full-court, 5×5 game) by Williams for the gold.
The quartet of Williams, her Tiger teammate MiLaysia Fulwiley, Joyce Edwards, and Sahara Williams (no relation) advanced to the final in a 19-18 overtime thriller over Azerbaijan decided by a free-throw line jumper from the Bossier City star.
Williams captured her fourth FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup gold medal and MVP honor, helping win titles consecutively from 2021 through 2023, in addition to being a member of a previous USA 3×3 World Cup Team (2025) and 3×3 Nations League Team (2024).
She was an easy selection Sunday as the tournament Most Valuable Player.
“I’m blessed to be on this stage, to play with some amazing teammates, to play for some amazing coaches and to rep USA,” she said.
“Kudos to my teammates for believing in me to hit that shot,” said Williams, who had missed her previous four 2-pointers in the championship game. “I think, at that point of the game, I just wanted to get it over. I know we needed a good bucket. We weren’t going into overtime, so I did what I had to do.”
Williams joins Cameron Brink (2023) as the only other American woman to take home the MVP award.
Her semifinal dagger advanced Team USA to the final against Australia, who the Americans had defeated 21-18 in pool play earlier last week.
The USA held a 7-3 lead going into a media timeout. The game remained tight until the second media timeout with the Americans still on top, 12-9, with 3:48 left. Fulwiley hit a big 2-pointer to give the USA a 15-10 lead with just over three minutes remaining.
Australia tied the game at 17 points apiece with 1:49 left after back-to-back 2-pointers. Fulwiley answered with another deuce, putting the USA up 19-17. Australia rallied, running off three straight points to take the lead, 20-19, with under a minute remaining.
With time winding down, Williams came through from just right of the key to give the USA women their fourth gold medal in event history.
In the semifinal triumph, she was pivotal before the game-winner. With a minute left and Azerbaijan leading 15-13, Williams scored back-to-back buckets to even the game at 15 points apiece with 49 seconds left.
With 10 seconds remaining, Williams banked in a 2-point shot to give the Americans a 17-15 advantage. But Azerbaijan got it to OT with a 2-pointer.
Over 10 editions of the FIBA 3×3 World Cup, the American women have brought home a medal five times, including four titles. Including this year, the USA has four gold medals (2026, 2023, 2014, 2012) and a bronze (2016).
Entering her senior season with the Tigers this winter, Williams is building one of the most remarkable resumes in the history of her sport at LSU. Williams was Associated Press All-America honorable mention each of the past two seasons, along with being a first-team All-SEC selection, after being the 2023-24 SEC Freshman of the Year.
She has started all but one of the 106 games she has played for coach Kim Mulkey, averaging 15.4 points (with 1,630 career points), making 48 percent of her shots including 39 percent on 3-pointers. Her free throws are nearly automatic with a 83 percent make rate. She has averaged 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists.