What is 3×3 basketball?

3on3 basketball has been played by generations of players all over the world for decades. It is a less formal form of the sport where guys just get together and play using one basket on a half court. No refs or table officials. And no need to have at least 5 players per team, time clocks or the need for substitutes.

The world governing body of basketball, FIBA, saw its popularity and realised it had enormous potential for the development of basketball. They came-up with a common set of rules, adapted from the 5v5 game, and 3×3 was born.

There seems to be some disagreement as to how to pronounce 3×3. Some just say 3on3, others 3 by 3 and everybody else 3 ex 3. We did ask someone at FIBA a while ago and they told us the official way to say it is 3 on 3 but this was contradicted by a different representative of the organisation who said it is 3 by 3. So take your pick!

It made its debut in 2007 as a test event at the Asian Indoor Games in Macau. But it really made a global impact when it was played at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore. It was an instant hit and attracted large crowds of spectators.

Since that time a number of zonal and world championships have been staged for both male and female national teams including under 18s.

In 2012 FIBA launched the World Tour which was a series of city based tournaments around the globe that culminated in a final in Miami. Since then there has been a World Tour every summer that includes dunk, 3-point and skills competitions. The individual city tournaments are called ‘Masters’ events and prize money is paid.

For 2017 the cities that will stage a Masters tournament are:

• Saskatoon, Canada
• Utsunomiya, Japan
• Prague, Czech Republic
• Lausanne, Switzerland
• Debrecen, Hungary
• Chengdu, China
• Mexico City, Mexico

A final will take place in Beijing, China.

The prize money for winners and runners-up at each event: $20,000 USD for winning a Masters tournament which doubles to $40,000 USD for winning the final in Beijing. Prize money is also paid to the runners-up.

At the end of the season there is a 3×3 All-star event in Dubai.

To qualify for the Masters tournaments a team will play in one of the FIBA sanctioned qualifying tournaments that are staged by a number of different organisers around the world.

FIBA have announced that they have made an application to the International Olympic Committee to include 3×3 on the Olympic schedule as a distinct discipline. A decision is due in July 2017. There is every indication that this request will be granted and it will be a seismic event if it happens.