3x3 Basketball on the Paris Olympics 2024

3x3 Basketball is one of the largest street sports worldwide! This informal basketball style can be seen in every city on the globe. All you need is a hoop and a ball. It is less formal and more creative than traditional basketball. Even better, there is a live DJ doing the Olympics making sure everybody remains hyped ;). In this blog, we’ll take you through all the essentials of 3x3 Basketball.

_{What are the rules?}

3x3 Basketball is played on a half court. That is about 14 x 7,5 meters. It is a super small playing area. This makes it a very fast and creative sport. Not one second goes by wasted! Two teams of three players play against each other. There is only one basket. That means that both teams attack and defend the same basket. Who defends and who attacks depends on the possession of the ball. The team in possession has the right to attack, the other team must defend. You can clear the ball and win possession by running towards the arch of the field. The winner is the first one to reach 21 points, or the team with the most points after 10 minutes wins. The three-point line from the traditional basketball court now serves as two-point line. Everything inside those lines will earn you one point. The winners of the game continue to the next rounds and ultimately the final!

_{Olympic debut}

This urban variant of basketball has only recently been added. The official Olympic debut was in the Tokyo Olympics of 2020. Before that it was featured in a few Youth Olympics. First in Singapore 2010, followed by Nanjing 2014, and lastly in Buenos Aires 2018. It took quite some time before it got to the big Olympics. But the crowds and hype were super big! It was only a matter of time before 3x3 entered the Games.

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_{Where and when?}

This summer, 3x3 Basketball is hosted at La Concorde in Paris. It is a special arena designed for all the urban sports. Skateboarding, breaking, BMX and 3x3 Basketball will all compete in the city centre. The urban roots of the disciplines are celebrated in the place they were born: the streets! La Concorde has plenty of activities, urban shops and live DJ sets. The 3x3 games start on July 30th. The USA and German women will kick off the tournament at 17:30. The pool-rounds for both men and women start at July 30th and last till August 3rd. After that come the semifinals, bronze medal finals and gold medal finals! All these are set for August 5, starting at 17:30 with the women’s semifinal. The last game of the 3x3 Basketball is the men’s gold final at 22:35. A long and eventful day!

_{Who are competing?}

A lot of countries will enter the pool-rounds at this years Olympics. The USA women are looking for their second gold medal. Other strong candidates are Australia and Spain. Keep an eye out for them. The Latvia men took home the first men’s gold medal at the 2020 Olympics. However, with all the local support, the French team might surprise. The Netherlands also made an impact in the qualifying tournaments. It means we’re in for a summer full of fun and surprises!