3 x 3 game booming across the world

If you asked those involved in basketball ten years ago if 3×3 would be an Olympic sport, you’d have likely heard a response similar to the famous line from The Castle, ‘tell em they’re dreamin!’.

But since the first official event in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, 3×3 Basketball has boomed. In 2011, FIBA introduced the first national 3×3 team event in the form of the FIBA 3×3 World Cup, followed by the 3×3 World Tour in 2012.

The growth has been most evident over the past two years and in 2017 it was announced that it would become an Olympic sport, set for debut in Tokyo 2020. While traditionalists may argue otherwise, with its fast-pace and entertaining style, it’s no wonder it’s captured an audience.

This year saw the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup take place in Changsha, China, ending in an historical double for Australia, with both the Men’s and Women’s sides finishing undefeated.

It was also a proud event for the Boomers family with fan-favourite Maddie Garrick being selected in the Australian team, whilst new recruit Stella Beck represented New Zealand.

Garrick, alongside teammates Alice Kunek, Hannah Zavecz, and former Boomers player, Rebecca Cole, led Australia to gold, defeating Kazakhstan in the final, 20-9. With eight points against her name, Garrick was the highest scorer for the game, finishing the event with 22 points in total. The tournament ended with Garrick ranked #11 in terms of points scored during the series, followed closely by Beck at #13 with 18 points.

Shortly after the conclusion of the Asia Cup, the inaugural FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series was held on 31 May- 1 June in Chengdu, China. Here, the Australian women’s side proved their worth once again, finishing in first place and stretching their 3×3 unbeaten record to 12 wins, with a 21-15 win against Japan in the final.

“Making history winning the inaugural FIBA 3×3 Women’s World Series”, Garrick posted on Instagram with a collection of photos after the tournament.

Garrick’s 3×3 performances have put her in serious contention for the Australian side to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

With their red-hot form, the Aussie girls headed to Amsterdam to take part in the FIBA 3×3 World Cup, which ran from 18-23 June. This time Garrick was joined by Boomers teammate and another fan-favourite, Kalani Purcell, who represented New Zealand.

New Zealand finished in 10th place, with Australia unable to take the spoils this time, finishing in 4th place. China came out on top in the women’s event, defeating Hungary in the final, whilst the USA were victorious in the men’s tournament.

It’s been a huge off-season for our Boomers players and exciting to see the girls so heavily involved in the FIBA 3×3 events. A big congratulations to all of our players who represented their countries over the past month. We can’t wait to see what you will bring to the floor come the WNBL season.