Former Gonzaga standout Sonja ‘Sunny’ Greinacher earns Olympic gold for Germany in 3x3 basketball

From staff reports

There’s nothing brighter for Sonja “Sunny” Greinacher than gold.

Greinacher, the former Gonzaga basketball star who has played overseas in her home country in Germany since her college career ended in 2015, earned a gold medal on Monday after leading the Germans past Spain 17-16 in the women’s 3x3 final at the Paris Olympics.

The 6-foot-4 Greinacher, who had multiple stints with the national team before more recently focusing on 3x3, hit a tiebreaking 2-pointer with 30 seconds left. Spain scored to close the gap to 17-16 but missed a shot at the buzzer that would have tied it.

NBA Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki was there to root on his home country of Germany, and raised his hands and cheered after Greinacher hit the tiebreaking shot.

At Gonzaga, Greinacher was an All-West Coast Conference first-team selection. She was named the WCC Tournament MVP in 2014 after helping the Bulldogs defeat BYU in the championship game, where she finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.