BUCHAREST (Romania) - The regular season of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour 2025 ended with a bang in Bucharest as Amsterdam Rabobank (NED) made a statement ahead of the showpiece Manama Final.
Let's look back at the 15th stop on November 8-9.
Drought ends for Amsterdam
Finally! We should have known that the Dutch Masters wouldn't go through an entire season without a dub but they sure did make their fans nervous.
After such a frustrating regular season, which started with heart-breaking losses in finals before hitting the skids, Amsterdam have pulled it together in the nick of time after an unbeaten run in Bucharest.
They did it in impressive fashion to beat a murderer's role including squeezing by Barcelona (ESP) and Chongming (CHN) by two points each in pool play, where superstar Worthy de Jong was electric with two triple-fives.
Having stumbled all season in the knockouts, Amsterdam were not to be denied here as they overcame new champs Skyliners (GER) in the quarters before edging powerhouse Miami (USA) in a slog of a semi-final before submitting arguably their best performance of the season with a beat down of Liman (SRB) in the final .
By the time they were done with Liman, Amsterdam were back to their brilliant best and that should spook opponents as the Dutchmen travel to Manama confident of defending their World Tour Final title.
De Jong delivered the hype in his best performance of the season to walk off with the MVP after finishing No.1 in player-value (50.2) and scoring (33). Any doubts over whether he was still one of the very best players on the planet were squashed with Hype Worthy back in business and he has plenty left in the tank for Manama.
Red-hot Zigon leads Liman
Another year, another dominant Liman season. It's now 10 years straight of this legendary team being a contender after Liman finished fifth on the WT standings. Liman made four finals from nine stops even though they could only win the one title.
The Serbs again fell short but they did not lose any admiration after four straight victories by 5 or less points. Their easiest win came first up against Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (MGL) in a 20-15 result before the drama unfolded.
They edged Raudondvaris Hoptrans (LTU) to qualify for Day Two, where Liman had nerves of steel to beat Vienna (AUT) then a rejuvenated Riffa (BRN) when Nemanja Zigon was the best player on the half-court.
Liman ran out of gas in the final but they once again proved they have plenty of heart and determination. Zigon is also continuing the legacy of his predecessors after a brilliant performance where he shot the lights out to finish among the leaders of the major stats.
He'll enter Manama with his confidence sky high.
Riffa are revived
There was a point in the season where Riffa looked dead and buried. They just couldn't get going and had appeared overrun by hungrier and seemingly more talented teams. Riffa seemed a long way away from the powerhouse team that had won a title on WT 2024 as they failed to reach Day Two in three of four stops.
But Riffa turned it around in the backend and finished the regular season having made the semis in four of their last five stops. They were drawn in a ridiculously tough Pool A but came out on top after edging Ub (SRB) and Skyliners before an OT quarter-final win over Chongming (CHN), where Jonas Foerts submitted a near triple-five.
Their run ended in heart-break, but the pain will be short-lived with Riffa knowing that they are back in business as they journey to Manama.
Two-way force Dennis Donkor was inspirational yet again but he had plenty of support with big fella Caspar Augustijnen dominating the paint.
Concern for Ub
Just a couple of months ago, it appeared the field was playing for second place. Ub had dominated so convincingly, winning five straight WT titles, that they appeared to be running away with the season.
But it was never going to be so easy and mighty Ub have now stumbled having gone four straight stops without a title. After three straight semi-final defeats, Ub crashed to an early exit following close losses to Riffa and Skyliners.
Strahinja Stojacic was again spectacular but lacked support as Ub suddenly look very beatable. It was only the second time Ub had not made it out of Day One at a WT event since their incredible run started in 2022.
The other time? In 2024....in Manama.
Bucharest was amazing
Real ones well know that Bucharest is a mecca for 3x3, where the half-court game has deep roots. Bucharest has hosted many important 3x3 events through the years and added another with an absolutely incredible WT stop at the Parklake shopping center.
The fans are some of the most knowledgeable in the world and they were pumped up all tournament. We can't wait to venture back to 3x3's heartland.
FIBA