Some of the best shooters in NBA history are on the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball. They are nearly automatic. The halftime show in Tokyo Sunday featured a sharpshooter that uses automation.
A 7-foot robot donning a No. 95 jersey buried shots from as deep as half court at halftime of the United States’ 83-76 loss to France. The android, known as Cue3, made three straight shots from the free-throw line, 3-point line and half court.
The last time the United States men lost in the Olympics was 2004 when the team featured Allen Iverson. The newest AI at the Games was engineered by Japanese automotive manufacturer Toyota, which is a sponsor of the Olympic Games. The first iteration of Cue defeated two players from Japan’s professional basketball league in a shooting contest in 2018.
The robot needs to work on its free-throw line routine to avoid 10-second violations. It appears to take even longer than NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Americans have three of the top 20 free-throw percentage leaders since the inception of the NBA in Damian Lillard (fifth at 89.3%), Kevin Durant (15th at 88.3%) and Khris Middleton (17th at 87.9%). Lillard is 10th all-time in 3-pointers made with 2,051.
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