Preview: 2017 FIBA 3x3 World Tour
What is the 3x3 World Tour?
The World Tour is the premiere 3x3 basketball club competition. (If you don’t know how 3x3 is played, then click here) It is the absolute highest standard of 3x3 basketball and one of the most spectacular and exciting of any tournament on the calendar.
How does it work?
The World Tour is made up a series of eight tournaments held in eight different locations. Each tournament features twelve teams, made up of the world’s highest ranked sides, local champions and regional qualifiers, who compete in a pool stage followed by knockout round tournament. The winner of each tournament qualifies to the World Tour’s grand final, though they may compete in another World Tour tournament should they wish to.
At the end of the tour the winners of each tournament, and the highest-ranked non-qualifiers, compete in the final for a shot at the title of 3x3 World Tour champions.
In addition to the main competition, each stop on the tour also features a shoot-out challenge and the always-popular dunk contest.
The shoot-out features the best three-point shooters in the exhibition game trying to make as many shots from beyond the arc as quickly as they can, while the dunk contest features some of the most extraordinary athletes in the world trying to out-do one another with more and more elaborate and outrageous dunks. Like the main tournament, the winners of each individual contest win a place in the grand final.
Where does it take place?
The World Tour begins this weekend in Saskatoon, Canada, then moves on to Japan, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Hungary, China and Mexico before moving on to the final in Beijing on October 20th.
It’s worth noting that 3x3 tournaments do not take place in a gym or conventional basketball arena, but are regularly held outdoors in entertainment districts, near local landmarks, or in the centre of shopping malls. As 3x3 is traditionally an urban sport, it makes sense to hold each World Tour tournament in public, while it also helps garner a lot of public attention, making each stop unique and adding to the atmosphere of the tournament.
Who should we be looking out for?
The 3x3 World Tour allows for a variety of teams, both new and veteran, to earn a spot somewhere on the tour, so it’s never certain who we will be seeing or when exactly the big names will be taking to the court.
Novi Sad Al-Wadha are the undisputed kings of the tour, having won the competition twice, though they came up far short last year to eventual champions Ljubljana. A rivalry seems to be forming here, as Ljubljana will no doubt want to retain their title, while Novi Sad will be out looking for revenge.
As well as the two main teams, Japan’s premier side Hamamatsu made waves last year, when they finished second to Ljubljana in the grand final. They are one of the highest-ranked teams prior to the start of the tour, and will no doubt be looking to go that one step further.
Many teams that compete in the tour come from central Europe, one team to keep an eye on this year will be Gdansk of Poland. They rose through the rankings last year and earned a spot in the final through determination and self-improvement, which should no doubt propel them even more this year. In the Americas, Caguas of Puerto Rico are one of the best, if not the best, although there are plenty of teams from Brazil who would question that.
In addition to teams, there are plenty of individuals to keep an eye out for. Novi Sad captain Dusan Domovic Bulut is considered to be the best player on the tour, while skilful play and strong defence saw Jasmin Hercegovac win the MVP award of last year.
There will be a lot of attention around those in the dunk contest as well. Rafal ‘Lipek’ Lipinski has won the season dunk championship four times, though his throne is being contended by two up-and-comers: Vadim ‘Miller’ Poddubchenko and Jordan Kilganon, who has gained a lot of attention for his high-flying work.
Why should I watch?
You won’t regret checking out the 3x3 World Tour: it’s unrestrained basketball, the game in excess and it never fails to be exciting. As 3x3 has rocketed in popularity in recent years, and continues to do so, with this tournament serving as the best showcase for the sport.
The Saskatoon Masters - and the tour itself - tips off on July 15th. All the action will be available live on the official website, where you can also find out everything there is to know about the tour.
