Serbian teams dominate the ranking of the world’s top clubs in FIBA 3×3, with three clubs in the top ten: Ub Huishan NE, Partizan Meta Force, and Liman. No other country has managed to place even two teams in the top ten. This dominance is due not only to the superior training of Serbian athletes but also to the relatively weak competition, given the young nature of this sporting niche. As larger players enter the 3×3 basketball scene in the future, competition is expected to increase, so Serbian clubs need to solidify their position at the top of the leaderboard.
3×3 basketball is a relatively young sport, officially recognized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) only in 2007. It made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in 2020. Now, it attracts thousands of players and millions of spectators worldwide. Asian countries, for instance, are becoming major hubs for the sport’s growth. In China, for example, 3×3 basketball has gained immense popularity, with each major city having its own clubs competing in FIBA 3×3 tournaments.
The interest from Asian countries in this new discipline is evident in the number of teams registered for the FIBA 3×3 World Tour (WT). For example, in 2024, according to the FIBA 3×3 website, China and Hong Kong have registered seven teams, Japan has four teams, and Mongolia has three teams. However, none of these countries have yet managed to place a team in the top 10.
Currently, the countries leading the world rankings are: the USA (three teams in the WT), Serbia (five teams), Austria (one team), the Netherlands (two teams), Lithuania (two teams), France (three teams), Bahrain (one team), and Switzerland (three teams).
However, only Serbia has placed three out of its five teams in the top 10: Ub Huishan NE, Partizan Meta Force, and Liman. The other countries have only one team in the top of the leaderboard.
According to observers, the rapid rise of Serbian teams to the top of the rankings is due to several factors. Firstly, 3×3 tournaments in professional sports are a relatively new phenomenon. FIBA 3×3 is actively promoting it, making the entry barrier relatively low, along with the rewards. Secondly, major global basketball clubs initially found the new discipline less appealing, so they didn’t assemble teams for it.
As a result, Serbian basketball players saw an opportunity to move from street courts to professional platforms and seized it. It’s no secret that basketball is akin to a religion in Serbia, so there was no shortage of players with high levels of skill and potential.
This allowed the Serbians to quickly strengthen their position at the top of the rankings.
However, the situation is now changing. For example, the recent contract of NBA star and Olympic champion DeMarcus Cousins with the Chinese team Wuxi Wenlv Huishan signals the entry of major professional players and significant sports contracts into the 3×3 scene.
Observers believe that, as a result, competition in 3×3 basketball is likely to intensify with each season, and leading clubs from Western countries may begin sending their top players into this discipline.
We hope that Serbian clubs will withstand the upcoming competition and remain at the top of the rankings in future seasons.
