Michelle Plouffe returns to Canada's 3x3 basketball team after retiring 13 months ago

Three-time Olympian Michelle Plouffe has come out of retirement to join Canada's four-player roster for the FIBA 3x3 Women's Series stop in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 33-year-old Plouffe joins her twin sister Katherine Plouffe, Cassandra Brown and Paige Crozon for the event that starts Saturday.

Canada enters the final stretch of the regular season ranked 10th in the women's series standings.

The top seven teams, along with host China, advance to the women's series final in Shanghai from Sept. 5-6, making Bangkok one of Canada's last opportunities to earn crucial qualification points.

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"As we looked at where we are in the women's series standings and what we need to make a push toward Shanghai, Michelle was an option that made a lot of sense for us," said Steve Baur, vice-president and general manager of Canada Basketball's women's high performance program. "She has remained incredibly close to the game and to this group through her role with our program, and over time there have been conversations about what it might look like for her to play again.

"Bangkok gives us an opportunity to add an exceptional player to our group at an important point in the season, while giving Michelle an opportunity to compete again and see how it feels."

Michelle Plouffe retired on July 28, 2025, to begin the transition into her role as Canada Basketball's 3x3 performance manager.

She led Canada 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.