PR N°16 - Miami Beach to welcome very best for FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final

MIAMI, USA (FIBA 3x3 World Tour) – On the weekend of 22-23 September, the world’s best 3x3 basketball teams will converge on Miami, Florida (USA) for the Final of the inaugural FIBA 3x3 World Tour season.

Thanks to FIBA’s collaboration with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, the climax of the 3x3 season will be brought to Miami Beach this year and for many more to come, making the city the 3x3 basketball capital of the world. It offers the perfect combination of city life and beautiful beaches, with the court as close to the ocean as can be. Playing in Miami Beach for a world title is a dream for every 3x3 player.

FIBA Secretary General and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member Patrick Baumann said: “Miami Beach is the perfect location for the Final of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour. Like 3x3 basketball, it is young, sporty, beautiful and spectacular. The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau joins FIBA in believing in the immense potential of this rapidly growing discipline and FIBA is delighted to be teaming up with them.”

The 2012 edition sees 12 teams qualify for the 3x3 World Tour Final from five World Tour events held in Sao Paulo (Brazil), Vladivostok (Russia), New York (USA), Istanbul (Turkey) and Madrid (Spain) over the course of the summer.

Separated into two pools of six, teams will face the five others in their respective groups, with the top to a standard knock-out bracket.
The winner of the 3x3 World Tour final will pocket USD 30,000 of the total prize pot of USD 40,000.

There will also be a Samsung sponsored Shoot-Out and a Dunk Contest.

Beyond the elite competitions, the Miami 3x3 World Tour Final will also include a number of kids-focused entertainment acts. More information about the 3x3 World Tour can be found in 3x3worldtour.com.

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About FIBA and 3x3 basketball

FIBA (fiba.com) – the world governing body for basketball – is an independent association formed by 213 National Basketball Federations throughout the world. It is recognised as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Exciting, urban and innovative, 3x3 basketball is inspired by several forms of streetball played worldwide. Endorsed by FIBA, games see two teams of three players face off on a standard half-court.

It was played successfully for the first time in international competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore, while the first-ever FIBA 3x3 World Championships are currently taking place in Athens, Greece, while FIBA also organises a 3x3 U18 World Championship.