MATARO (Spain) - Willed on by the passionate Spanish fans in the bleachers, Marbella (ESP) made history after producing an inspired triumph at the FIBA 3x3 Mataro Challenger.
Here is what happened in the 15th Challenger of the season on September 27-28.
The winner: Marbella (ESP)
They were: No.2 points, shooting value & highlights
2025 has been a year when Spain has well and truly made their mark in 3x3 men's. And Marbella (ESP) continued this rise after winning their first title in an unbeaten campaign.
They were led by World Cup hero Diego De Blas, who walked off with the MVP and proved why he is quickly becoming a 3x3 star.
His masterpiece was a 12-point, 6-highlight domination of top seed London (USA) in the quarters, fuelling confidence for Marbella who had squeezed by Barcelona (ESP) and Kaunas VDU (LTU) on Day One.
Marbella's defense was elite against Bordeaux (FRA) in the semis before they were on fire against Kandava Turiba (LAT) in the final. We've only seen Marbella once before on the WT 2025, but we're going to see them a bit more in the weeks ahead and that should spook opponents.
The runner-up: Kandava Turiba (LAT)
They were: No.1 points, shooting value
The Latvians weren't able to claim a first season title, but issued a reminder that they are a very dangerous team, boasting a nice mixture of youth and experience.
A deep run looked unlikely after a Day One stumble at the death to Bordeaux, but they regrouped impressively to edge title fancies Carolina (PUR) in the quarters, where Rihards Kuksiks outplayed superstar Antonio Ralat.
It was then time for OG Edgars Krumins to school younger opponents as the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist rewound the clock in the semis against Barcelona. He was on a heater from deep, nailing six two-pieces to finish with 12 points but Kandava's momentum couldn't quite continue in the final.
The Final: Marbella 21-Kandava Turiba 17
Both teams had been red-hot in the knockouts and continued to be in heat check mode during a final that was played in warp speed. Krumins remained in his semi-final zone with an early two before quickly cooling off as it was left to Kuksiks - the leading scorer of the tournament - to pick up the slack.
But Kandava had trouble on defense, with De Blas making a fast start before Isaac Mayo took over as points were scored at will in a frenetic final. The red-hot Spaniard decided to add some extra mayo and hit 5 points, including a pretty runner down the lane, in 30 seconds as Marbella edged ahead.
Mayo continued to shake and bake as Marbella closed in on the title with a 17-13 lead. Kuksiks had other ideas and hit a two to give Kandava hope, but Jose Blazquez shut the door with a big two to seal Marbella's title and trigger celebrations from the Spanish fans.
The reward: Three tickets to WT Macau Lugano, Kandava Turiba and Barcelona qualified for WT Macau on October 18-19. Final Standings: 1. Marbella (ESP) 2. Kandava Turiba (LAT) 3. Barcelona (ESP) 4. Bordeaux (FRA) 5. Mataro (ESP) Top Scorers: 1. Rihards Kuksiks (Kandava Turiba, LAT) 36 pts 2. Diego De Blas (Marbella, ESP) 33 pts 3. Edgars Krumins (Kandava Turiba, LAT) 30 pts 4. Zigmars Raimo (Kandava Turiba, LAT) 28 pts 5. Isaac Mayo (Marbella, ESP) 26 pts Key Stats: - Carolina (PUR) superstar Antonio Ralat put up 12 points, 5 highlights and 3 rebounds but his team fell short to Roma (ITA) in pool play. - Joost Kerst Poels had the only triple-five of the tournament when he had 8 points, 5 rebounds and 9 highlights, but Haarlem fell short to Bordeaux. - The final was the shortest game of the tournament, lasting just 7'16" in playing time.
FIBA