HONG KONG - Ub (SRB) continue their red-hot form in the circuit, defeating Hangzhou (CHN) 21 - 14 to win the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Hong Kong 2025 on July 20.
Despite a stuttering start to their season, there’s been no denying the Serbian Giants in recent stops, coming into Hong Kong with back-to-back stop wins in Marseille and Vienna. However, their job would be considerably different without world number one Strahinja Stojacic. Things only got tougher for Ub as they would have to continue on without Dejan Majstorovic who was dealing with an injury coming into the knockout rounds.
They would take on Hangzhou in the final, who have turned heads all season but were particularly potent in Hong Kong. They battled their way through the Qualifying Draw to earn a spot to the quarter-final. They came up clutch in the knockout games, taking down the Skyliners and Kandava to book a clash against Ub.
The three-man Serbian side stayed true to plan and got scoring going early, Marko Brankovic orchestrating things with Nemanja Barac and Nenad Nerandzic providing the end-product. It was a physical battle to start the contest, both sides battling in the paint to acquire their points for the most part.
As the game went on however, Ub’s experience showed. Despite a clear disadvantage, an on-fire Brankovic and Barac grabbed the offensive reins, combining for 16 points. Nerandzic was crucial on the boards and contributed timely buckets. Filip Kaluderovic would try to answer back for Hangzhou but to no avail. Marko Brankovic would seal the game with a turn around fadeaway to hand Ub a 21 - 14 victory over Hangzhou, making it 3 stops in a row for the Serbians.
Brankovic was a man on a mission for Ub. He finished the tournament as the top scorer (46), with the highest player value total (57.2) and the most key assists (12). He was the engine behind Ub coming through despite losing Dejan Majstorovic to injury mid-tournament and was the driving force behind their surge in the final where he put up a team-high 9 points. Brankovic would earn MVP plaudits in Hong Kong for his efforts.
In the individual contests, Trey Bardsley (Miami) won the Shoot-Out Contest presented by Wilson while Brodie Stevens won the Dunk Contest.
STANDINGS
Ub (SRB)
Hangzhou (CHN)
Chongming (CHN)
Kandava Turiba (LAT)
Partizan (SRB)
Skyliners (GER)
Toulouse (FRA)
Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (MGL)
Amsterdam RABOBANK (NED)
Miami (USA)
Seef (BRN)
Hong Kong (HKG)
Doha (QAT)
Shanghai (CHN)
Milan (ITA)
Guangzhou STR Revo (CHN)
About FIBA 3x3
Exciting, urban and innovative, 3x3 is inspired by several forms of streetball played worldwide and is considered the world’s number one urban team sport. Steered by FIBA, games see two teams of three players face off on a basketball half-court.
It was played successfully for the first time in international competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and since then has benefited from the launch of a yearly professional circuit for men and women (World Tour and Women’s Series respectively) and national-team competitions. 3x3 made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Wilson is the Global Ball Partner of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour 2024.
FIBA 3x3 events are played on Enlio floors with Wilson balls, Schelde backstops, Bodet shot-clocks, the Magic Sky canopy and the Avant seating system.
For further information about 3x3, visit fiba3x3.basketball, FIBA 3x3 accounts on Douyin, Facebook, Instagram, Sina Weibo, Tencent, TikTok, Twitch, Twitter, Youku and YouTube or contact 3x3@fiba.basketball.
FIBA