Normally I go by The Mountain, but after this past weekend in Japan, you might as well call me Mount Fuji. Heaps of gyoza, endless bowls of ramen and best of all: back underneath the Futaarayama Shrine in Utsunomiya for all the 3x3 action.
I was front row for the FIBA 3x3 World Tour 2026 Opener, calling it live and watching the entire 3x3 world kick off a season in real time.
And this one had it all.
The highly anticipated first World Tour event of the year featured the top 10 teams in the world, and it’s where we found out what’s real, what’s not, and who’s ready for what’s coming in 2026.
So instead of running through results, let’s get into what actually matters.
Here are my five biggest takeaways from Utsunomiya.
Liman is for real
The savvy Serbians retooled their roster in the offseason and brought one new addition to Japan: Dorde Simeunovic.
He made an impact straight away.
In his first ever World Tour game for Liman, against his former team Taipei WanBao (11), Dorde caught everyone’s eye with his physicality, screening ability and playmaking from the high post. He led the way with 8 points and even showed off his range with a made two.
Liman allowed 15 points in that game. That ended up being their highest total conceded all tournament.
Coming in, we knew their signature style is built on grit and grind. They wear teams down and turn games into battles of attrition, often separating late. Simeunovic, dubbed the SimeTruck because of his frame, only adds to that identity.
Throughout the Opener, Liman gave up just 12.4 points per game.
That number can be misleading at times. High-powered offenses often race to 21, which keeps the opponent’s score low without necessarily saying anything about how well they actually defend. That’s just a reflection of how quickly those games get decided.
This was different.
Liman only hit 21 twice in five games, which means they were actually winning slow. That makes this run a real defensive statement.
They forced six turnovers per game while only giving it up 4.2 times themselves. They won the rebounding battle in three of five games and grabbed over 5.5 offensive boards per contest.
That’s a lot of extra possessions.
It led to an undefeated run and Liman’s first ever Utsunomiya Opener title.
Statement made.
All the emotions for the Skyliners
The Skyliners came into their first ever Utsunomiya Opener as a team on the rise after closing out 2025 strong. They backed that up with two sharp wins in pool play and put the field on notice.
Then everything changed.
Rising star Leon Fertig got his leg caught underneath an opponent during a hustle play and went down with a devastating injury that took the air out of the entire venue. Play stopped, Fertig was carted off, and a shaken Skyliners team had to keep going with just three players.
They still found a way to win.
You never know how players respond in moments like that, especially when they have to keep competing. It would have been completely understandable if they didn’t have anything left for the semi-final against Antwerp.
Instead, we saw something special.
Kevin Bryant brought Fertig’s jersey onto the court before the game. The message was clear. They were playing for their teammate.
They started slow, but they kept fighting. Possession by possession, the energy shifted. Then the shots started falling.
The sold-out crowd got behind them, louder with every make.
Niklas Kropp delivered 12 points and rode the moment all the way to the finish line. After ten minutes, it was 19 to 12 Skyliners.
They did it for Leon.
Liman proved too much in the final, but the mental strength shown by the Skyliners suggests they’ll be just fine moving forward.
Growing pains?
A number of teams came into Utsunomiya with new pieces, and it showed.
Miami (7) brought in Riley Battin, a big with the ability to dominate the glass and score inside. The question was always how he would fit into their flowing, movement-heavy system.
It looked good at first with a 21 to 15 win over Vienna.
Then it didn’t.
The offense became disjointed. The cuts disappeared. Battin struggled to find rhythm. Miami lost the rebounding battle, barely created assisted looks, and leaned heavily on individual creation.
The result was an offense that stalled.
They scored just 23 points across their next two games and exited in the quarter-finals against Liman.
Raudondvaris Hoptrans (8) welcomed back Modestas Kumpys and added Grantas Vasiliauskas. They edged through pool play behind strong defense and a dominant Evaldas Dziaugys.
Offensively, though, it was a one-man show.
Dziaugys averaged 9 points per game. The rest of the team all stayed under 2. Shooting 2 for 28 from deep didn’t help.
Not the start they were hoping for.
Vienna (10) are still trying to rediscover their rhythm after an injury-filled 2025. The Kaltenbrunner brothers brought defensive intensity, but offensively the team lacked cohesion.
Too many contested shots, not enough easy ones, and no clear fallback when things stalled.
Another one to keep an eye on.
The 2 ball giveth… and taketh away
Antwerp (4), the athletes formerly known as Riffa, came into Utsunomiya with momentum after winning the Shibuya Challenger.
They left with a top four finish, but it was a rollercoaster.
From deep, it looked like this.
1 for 10 against Ub (L) 5 for 12 against Toulouse in a must-win (W) 6 for 16 against Amsterdam (W) 1 for 16 against the Skyliners (L)
That’s the nature of the 2 ball.
High reward. High variance.
When teams disrupt Antwerp’s movement and force tougher looks, things get shaky. When the shots fall, they look unstoppable.
Still, two straight top four finishes to start the season is a strong foundation.
Welcome back
We saw a number of important returns, whether from injury or into new roles.
As mentioned, Modestas Kumpys is back for Raudondvaris. The offense isn’t quite there yet, but the rebounding and physical presence are.
Strahinja Stojacic returned after missing time since the 2025 World Tour Finals. Not at his explosive best yet, but for someone who hadn’t played in five months, this was a solid showing.
Franck Seguela worked through an ankle issue in the offseason and looked ready, averaging 6 points per game.
Leonardo Branquinho made his World Tour debut for Taipei WanBao, adding physicality and rim pressure to a team that already has an interesting mix. They came through qualifying comfortably and competed well in pool play.
This group feels like one to watch.
Closing Thoughts
One stop in, and already a lot to unpack.
The Opener didn’t just give us a winner, it gave us signals. Who’s real, who’s still figuring things out, and who might already be chasing the pack. And if history tells us anything, some of those early signals tend to stick.
But the season doesn’t wait.
Next up is Chengdu.
New environment, quick turnaround, and another chance for teams to confirm what we saw in Japan or flip the script entirely. That’s the beauty of the World Tour. Every stop writes a new chapter, and momentum can shift just as fast as it builds.
I’ll be following it all closely, and you can expect more of these breakdowns right here on FIBA3x3.com throughout the season. At least once a month, covering the biggest events and key storylines.
We’re only getting started.
Stay locked in.