3X3 basketball 3rd season to begin March 5

The matches will take place in the lawns of a hotel in Chandigarh. The organisers have set up courts inside the hotel’s premises.

The players share the stage with team owners at a press conference held in New Delhi.

With an aim to take India to the world, the Basketball Federation of India and International Basketball Federation (FIBA)-backed 3X3 Pro BasketBall League is set to play its third season from March 5.

Unlike other basketball tournaments, where teams lock horns in a stadium, 3X3 league is played in high-traffic areas, such as malls and private areas. However, this season is different. The organisers were compelled to change the location of the event to a hotel in Chandigarh, due to the pandemic.

Clarifies Rohit Bakshi, 3BL Commissioner, “Due to the COVID-19-led restrictions, we have booked a five-star hotel in Chandigarh for this season. We have set up two courts in the hotel itself: the main one for playing and a practice court for practicing the game. We have also set up a TV room in the hotel for broadcasting the event.”

As per the format, 12 men’s teams (72 players) and six women’s teams (36 players) will compete in six rounds each. The team to win the final round would be crowned as the champion. But along with this tag, 3BL would also provide every 3X3 champion team and players playing for the winning team 45000 ranking points to enable Indian 3X3 national teams to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

At present, Indian’s global ranking at FIBA team stands at 70th (men’s team) and 52nd (women’s team). By the end of this season, Rohit plans to increase their rankings to 30th and 25th, respectively.

“With a year and several seasons to play before the Olympics’ qualification, India would get a direct access to Olympics if both the teams achieve the 4th position. That is what I am aiming for through 3BL,” he adds.

The third season will be telecasted on Sony LIV and additional weekly special programming will be aired on Sony Six.

Difference between 5X5 and 3X3

5X5	3X3
Started in 1891	Started in 2010
Played with a bigger ball	Played with a smaller ball
Full court is used	Half court is used
Has five players	Has three players
Has 40 minutes of play	Has 30 minutes of play