The days when 3×3 basketball was considered street entertainment have long since become history. Now it is a professional sport, FIBA officially approves its rules, and the number of basketball tournaments every year increases exponentially, as does the attention to the game.
Last year’s events garnered an incredible 1.1 billion views across all FIBA 3×3 platforms – numbers alone underline the extraordinary global interest in the game.
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Moreover, not only the geography of tournaments but also the number of competitions and the length of the season will be added so that before we have time to look back, the professional season in 3×3 basketball will last the entire calendar year and cover competitions worldwide.
If you’re new to 3×3 basketball, here are the most important things you need to know to get started:
- A basketball court for 3×3 basketball is half of a regular basketball court with one ring;
- Each team consists of four players, three on the court. This substitution can be made at any moment of the match when the ball is not in play;
- Each ball scored from the edge of the arc, and a free throw was evaluated by one point. A ball thrown from beyond the arc is worth two points;
- The game lasts 10 minutes or up to 21 points scored by one team, whichever comes first. In the case of a night result, after 10 minutes played, overtime is played until the team scores two points;
- After the ball is scored in the basket, it immediately passes to the other team – the game does not stop. It continues without a break, which significantly contributes to the dynamics. The team must bring the ball out of the arc;
- There is a time limit for one attack – 12 seconds.
To date, the largest 3×3 basketball competition is the FIBA World Series.
In 2024, FIBA has planned to hold 16 Masters (the main competition of the World Tour) on four continents. Each location brings its unique flavor to the tour, promising incredible experiences for players and fans alike.
Season 2024:
- Utsunomiya Opener, Japan (April 27-28);
- Marcel Masters (May 31–June 1);
- Ulaanbaatar Masters, Mongolia (June 8-9);
- Chengdu Masters, China (June 22-23);
- Edmonton Masters, Canada (July 6-7);
- Lausanne Masters, Switzerland (August 16-17);
- Debrecen Masters, Hungary (August 31-September 1);
- Shanghai Masters, China (September 21-22);
- All Masters, China (October 6-7);
- Amsterdam Masters, Netherlands (October 12-13);
- Macau Masters, China (October 19-20);
- Abu Dhabi Masters, UAE (October 26-27);
- Manama Masters, Bahrain (November 7-8);
- Shenzhen Masters, China (November 16-17);
- Hong Kong Masters, China (November 23-24);
- The final of the world tour will be announced later in December.
The seven best teams in each Master share the prize pool, which this season is $130,000 (the winning team receives $40,000).
You can qualify for the Masters either by being in the top positions in the world ranking of teams (such teams themselves choose the Masters they will play at) or through the Challengers.
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You can get to the Challenger through the world ranking, Quests, Superquests, and Superleagues (qualifying competitions for challengers) or get an invitation from the organizers. In 2021, the Ukrainian 3×3 Championship, organized by the Basketball Federation of Ukraine, became a Challenger quest in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
The highlight of this season will be the Olympic Games in Paris. For the second time, 3×3 basketball will be presented at the Olympics, the year’s biggest competition.
The Olympic tournament will be held from July 30 to August 5, 2024, at the iconic Concord Square in the center of the French capital. Place de la Concorde is the largest public square in Paris, near the Grand Palais, the Champs Elysees, and the Louvre.
Basketball 3×3 will share the competition with skateboarding, freestyle BMX, and Breakdance. The open arena, planned to hold 5,020 spectators, will show that 3×3 can create one of the most exciting atmospheres in sports.
According to the world ranking, three teams—Serbia, USA, and China for men and China, USA, and France for women—have already received tickets to the Olympics. In total, eight national teams will play at the Olympics. The remaining licenses will be played at three qualifying tournaments in April and May.
It is clear that those national teams that still need to make it to the Olympics but want to play there are already preparing for the new season. What is the best way to prepare for the season? The most accessible and most understandable way is to play. Play as much as possible, preferably against strong opponents.
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Many tournaments have been going on for a long time, and their lineups are impressive. On January 13, the Japanese Professional League kicked off last weekend’s victories for Swiss Lausanne with 3×3 basketball superstars Karlis Lasmanis and Malik Hluchovetski. Lausanne received a check for $100,000 and a ticket to the Ulaanbaatar Masters for the win.
Two of the three Pro League 3×3 Hoops Factory stages were held in France, where a ticket to the Marseille Masters is at stake. The national teams of Belgium, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Puerto Rico, and several teams of France and Germany play here. The third stage will occur next weekend, and the Super Final is scheduled for March 30-31 in Toulouse.
From March to mid-April, the China Dragon 3×3 Super League is held in China, the final of the local Pro League is scheduled for March 31 in Spain, and a ticket to the Marseille Masters is at the end. And this is just the beginning because the Asian Cup will take place on March 27-31, and from the beginning of April, Superquests will start one after another, where we can see teams in new lineups.
And there is something to look at. Last season’s champion, Serbian UB, united two Stoyachic players to create a base team for Serbia’s national team.
Amsterdam took Brian Alberts, Slagter, and Driessen, who were announced on the team, and this is already a kind of Dutch national team. Antwerp is trying to gather 3×3 Belgian stars.
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In general, changes in team composition are the topic of a separate article. We will also introduce the main stars of the upcoming season for those who are just getting to know the world of 3×3 basketball, so stay tuned.
