{
  "id": 2426587,
  "title": "Michelle Plouffe returns to Canada’s 3×3 basketball team after retiring 13 months ago",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/michelle-plouffe-returns-to-canadas-3-3-basketball-team-after",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-21T19:58:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/uncategorized/2026/08/21/michelle-plouffe-returns-to-canadas-3x3-basketball-team-after-retiring-13-months-ago"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bangkok - Three-time Olympian Michelle Plouffe has returned to Canada's 3x3 basketball team after taking a year-long retirement. The 33-year-old athlete joins her twin sister Katherine Plouffe, Cassandra Brown and Paige Crozon for the upcoming FIBA 3x3 Women's Series stop in Bangkok, Thailand. Canada currently holds the 10th position in the women's series standings and aims to secure crucial qualification points by advancing to the final, which will be held in Shanghai from September 5-6. Plouffe, who retired on July 28, 2025 to focus on her role as Canada Basketball's 3x3 performance manager, led her team to multiple FIBA 3x3 Women's Series titles, a silver medal at the 2022 FIBA 3x3 World Cup, and a fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Michelle Plouffe returns to Canada's 3x3 basketball team after 13 months of retirement.",
    "Plouffe joins her twin sister Katherine Plouffe and teammates Cassandra Brown and Paige Crozon.",
    "Canada aims to secure qualification points for the final in Shanghai on September 5-6."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "‘We’re Canada’s team, aren’t we?’: Toronto Tempo look to build fan base in Vancouver",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/were-canadas-team-arent-we-toronto-tempo-look-to-build-fan-base-in",
        "published": "2026-08-21T19:36:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}