Basketball players often encountered the basic model of playing three against three under one basket prior to the formalization of 3×3. This was how players played streetball games on courts outdoors or during traditional basketball training.
Traditional basketball requires teams of five, playing simultaneously on a court with two baskets. However, in the training process, traditional basketball coaches usually decrease player numbers in the teams, keeping the same rules or minor modifications.
This is known as small-sided basketball, and playing three-on-three is an excellent method for learning basketball. Certain basketball federations have even favoured creating three-on-three basketball leagues specifically for junior players, believing that this type of game was better for developing young players because they received more opportunities to play.
Aside from the traditional 5v5, different basketball variants were not considered official competition sports. They were generally played outside on the streets and were referred to as street basketball. Sometimes, they were played in amateur tournaments.
This version of the game was not based on a strict structure nor a standard international playing platform, and it wasn’t officialized. Players have played a three-on-three in the past undeniably, but 3×3 basketball is an official and formal basketball discipline with strict rules.
Another three-on-three variation is Fireball3, which is growing in popularity in the USA (the “BIG3” league). This version has rules that differ from FIBA 3×3 and NBA five-on-five and is played in arenas, with in-game coaching and featuring the stars that played in NBA.
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