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History of men’s 3×3 World Championship

Soccer World Cups are well known to the sports audience due to their promotion a couple of weeks ahead of the start of the competition. However, World Cups in 3×3 basketball are no less exciting. They are attracting a lot of attention of passionate 3×3 basketball supporters.

Those few days are the most entertaining period of the year of any real fan of this sport. The best countries on the planet are gathering to compete on one court for the title of champion of the world. Every player represents his own country and wants to give the maximum. Let’s preview the history of World Cups.

How did the story with World Cups start?

The first ever organized 3×3 basketball fixture was held in Macau, China in 2007. After organizing the first official tournament in 2010(as part of the Summer Youth Olympic Games) in 3×3 basketball, it was clear that 3×3 has a bright future. Well receiving of this sport had a logical consequence – FIBA decided to create World Tour for clubs and World Cups for teams.

The planetary championship was having 24 teams divided into four groups of six teams and that was guaranteeing a good and thrilling contest. Serbia got an invitation to participate in the tournament in Athens and you will soon find out why is that so important moment in the development of this tremendously exciting game.

What happened at the first-ever World Cup in Athens?

Greece was hosting the best world 3×3 basketball can offer in 2012. The four highest-ranked teams in pools A, B, C, and D in the 2012 World Cup proceeded to the Last 16 phase. Spectators were surprised a little bit by Latvia and Brazil not qualifying for the elimination stage. Other than that, everything happened as expected and deciding battles could start.

After the French win over Israel and the Serbian victory against Ukraine in the semifinals, it was clear how big the clash was ahead of supporters.

French guys were looking more athletic and stronger than Serbian ones, but chemistry and unselfishness triumphed in the final game. Serbia won against France with 16-13 followed by an unbelievable comeback in the dying moments of the fixture.

Where was the next World Cup held?

The 2014 planetary championship was supposed to take place in Moscow, according to FIBA decision. Serbian guys came to 2014 World Cup with a crown of a champion and were ready to face any obstacle in their mission to defend the title.

After succeeding successfully through the group phase and eliminating the mighty USA in the last 16, Romania was waiting in line. Quarterfinal was a hard test for Dusan Bulut and his buddies as they were trailing against their neighbors. The final punch from Dejan Majstorovic brought them victory, though.

Qatar, the little country from southwest Asia, made a big upset in the whole tournament and especially in the semis against favorite Lithuania.

Nobody gave them chance against Serbia in the decisive game, but inspired Boney Watson was firing from all weapons. His eight points and holding title defenders to 13 points at the end of the game were crucial factors in, according to many experts, the biggest shock in World Cup history.

Who won the next planetary championship?

We can say that the popularity of this sport among the audience was growing with every new World Cup. The previous planetary championship was well-remembered because of Qatar’s amazing road to glory.

The most talented players on the planet came to Guangzhou, a Chinese city, for the third World Cup in 2016. It was the first-ever organized tournament with 20 teams divided into four groups of five teams. Two teams with the best ranking were progressing through the pool stage in the 2016 World Cup.

The competition was marked with the third Serbian victory over the USA in World Cup history. It looked like the USA guys have developed a mental barrier against Dejan Majstorovic and his colleagues.

The final game between Serbia and USA is considered as maybe the greatest game in the 10-year history of 3X3 basketball. 21-16 win was the culmination of excellent Dusan Bulut performances. He was named the MVP of the World Cup.

How did Serbia deal with the pressure of winning after 2016 World Cup?

French City Nantes was waiting for the 20 best countries on the planet at that moment in 2017. The competition was strong at that time with Serbia, Russia, France, the USA, and the Netherlands as the biggest contenders for gold. There were no surprises in group stage games and we could witness some big clashes in the quarterfinals.

Slovenia gave hard time to Netherland in the semifinal of the 2017 World Cup eventually losing the game with 12-11. Serbia, two-time champion at that time, steamrolled France with 22-11 for the fourth consecutive final on the global stage.

Netherland was trying hard in the decisive game, but failed in the end. Serbian was too strong and pulled out a 21-18 victory for the third gold in their lucrative history.

Who succeeded Serbia on the world throne?

After four successfully organized tournaments by FIBA, World Cup had its fifth edition in the Asian country Philippines in 2018. In the absence of the USA, Serbia was one more time the number-one favorite for the gold medal. An important fact was that the Serbian national squad consisted of the four best players at that moment in the ranking.

Romania, New Zealand, and Kirgistan were beaten in the pool stage by Dejan Majstorovic, Marko Savic, Dusan Bulut, and Stefan Stojacic. Mongolia has fallen in the first knockout stage, while Romania was resilient until the final moments of the semifinal of the 2018 World Cup.

Serbia defeated the Netherlands again in the replay of the previous final in 2017. It was 16-13 with Dusan Bulut again getting the MVP award, so the reputation of Serbia as ”the country of 3×3 basketball” was confirmed.

Who was the next owner of the gold medal?

Serbia was dominant in world 3×3 basketball in 2019 and came with that pedigree to Amsterdam, Netherland’s capital. The self-confidence of Serbian players was so strong that maybe they underestimated opponents before the start of the tournament.

The USA stunned the Serbian squad and finally broke the curse in the first round of the group stage. Long-distance shots betrayed Bulut and his teammates as they were defeated.

USA continued their winning streak until the end of the championship and lifted the trophy in the 2019 World Cup. Kareem Maddox, Robbie Hummel, Damon Huffman, and Canyon Barry brought this country first gold with seven consecutive wins. USA beat Latvia in the final game with 18-14.

What occurred in the 2022 World Cup in Antwerp?

The USA hoped they could retain the title of world champion in Belgium in 2022 and Antwerp was the city where the competition took place. 2021 Olympic Games were held in Tokyo and the first laureate was Latvia, so they came with a solid chance to win the first gold medal. In the meantime, Dusan Bulut retired from the Serbian national squad.

Belgium spectators are very interested in this sport and this was the perfect chance for them to enjoy the marvelous moves of their favorite players. Many candidates for the biggest prize were involved in this tournament.

Quarterfinals are, by some unwritten rule, the most intriguing and thrilling matches in the tournament. Defending champion USA lost to Lithuania with 21-11, while on the other side Serbia defeated Latvia with 22-17 in the Top 8 of the 2022 World Cup.

Serbia won all seven fixtures during the competition and pulled out a 21-16 victory over Lithuania in the gold medal match. Powerful duo Strahinja Stojacic and Dejan Majstorovic took the main role in the title hunt. Dejan was named MVP of the 2022 World Cup.

The planetary championship has an amazing tradition and many games triggered different emotions. 2023 World Cup will be held as the qualification tournament for the 2024 Olympic Games. In years to come, we may get a new name that’s written in the book of champions of the word.

About the author

Marjan Nikolic

Passionate sports guy, coming from the eastern Europe where best basketball is played (yeah, I know you will not agree!). Dynamic 3x3 basket has special place in my heart.

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