DEBRECEN (Hungary) - The FIBA 3x3 World Tour returned to Debrecen for its annual stop as Vienna (AUT) became a new champion in 2025 to spice up this riveting season. Let's look back at the 10th stop played on August 29-31.
Vienna make up for lost time
Welcome back, Vienna! The Austrians had not been seen at the WT since hosting their home event in Vienna way back in June. They were out to make up for lost time and to climb the WT standings having only played in four events so far.
It had been a lacklustre WT season for Vienna, who had collected a slew of titles in recent seasons. They had reached the semis in Amsterdam, but were knocked out of the quarters in their other three appearances.
A title-winning run seemed unlikely when they lost their opener to Marbella (ESP) in OT, but avoided an early exit by beating dangerous London (USA).
Vienna then recaptured their form from previous seasons, with the team of old going on a giant-killing run with dubs over powers Liman (SRB) and Amsterdam Rabobank (NED) before edging Skyliners (GER) in a thrilling final.
Quincy Diggs issued a reminder that he's one of the very best in the business by taking home the MVP and he had standout games against Liman and Skyliners. Clutch Enis Murati was also a hero and showed why he's cold blooded with the title-winning two as the Austrians let everyone know that they are back.
Skyliners make statement
Excitement machine Baskets Bonn Telekom (GER) might have hogged a lot of attention, but fellow Germans Skyliners (GER) are also a rising force in 3x3. The addition of former Liman star Stefan Kojic has unlocked this talented team that had been unable to quite get it right.
Skyliners came of age in Debrecen having previously reached two quarter-finals this season. Kojic couldn't fire up his team in their opener against Liman but Skyliners avoided a second Day One exit this season by edging host Debrecen (HUN).
Skyliners continued to pull out tight wins, none better than a thrilling semi-final dub over Valencia (ESP), where Kojic was in vintage form with 9 points and 5 highlights. They fell short of a first triumph, but made a statement with Kojic well supported by fellow scoring machine Leon Fertig.
Niklas Klopp also produced an eye-popping all-round performance to live up to the hype of being a 3x3 unicorn that had been bandied around for several years. If he can continue to play at this high level then Skyliners will be seriously hard to beat for the rest of 2025.
Herrero the hero for Valencia
2025 will be remembered for the addition of hoops power Spain to the top tier of men's 3x3. And Valencia (ESP) have emerged as another strong Spanish side after storming to the semis in just their second stop on the WT 2025.
We saw glimpses of them in Lausanne when they reached the quarters, but Valencia went one better after an impressive run from the QD. They rebounded from an opening defeat to power Raudondvaris Hoptrans (LTU), with Javier Herrero exploding for 10 points in their tight win over Valencia (ESP).
Herrero was the hero against Lausanne in the quarters with an insane 14 points to single-handedly lift Valencia into the final four for the first time. He finished as the leading scorer of the tournament and averaged almost 10 ppg as a new Spanish star arrived.
Partizan's struggles continue
While new teams are rising, Partizan's (SRB) season slump continues with the Serbs having now missed the knockouts for the fifth time from six events. They are languishing in 15th spot on the WT standings and have seemingly been overtaken by hungrier and more cohesive teams.
Partizan, however, were unlucky in Debrecen and could have easily won both their pool games. They lost 21-20 to Raudondvaris Hoptrans despite superstar Stefan Milivojevic putting up one of the most spectacular performances of the tournament with a triple-five of 9 points, 5 rebounds and 10 highlights.
But he was subdued in their must-win game against Valencia as Partizan experienced the familiar disappointment of an early exit. They need to rebound quickly before it's too late.
Debrecen is an iconic 3x3 destination The last days of the European summer just means that the WT descends to 3x3 mad Debrecen, the pretty locale in Hungary. Kossuth Square was rocking yet again as Debrecen delivered one of its best ever events - truly a feat considering it has hosted so many memorable FIBA 3x3 international events since 2015. It is little wonder that Debrecen is considered a 3x3 GOAT destination.
FIBA