Teams qualified for FIBA 3x3 World Tour Jeddah Final 2023

JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - It wasn't finalized until the thrilling regular season finale in Hong Kong, but the full list of teams are now known for the showpiece FIBA 3x3 World Tour Jeddah Final. 

Here are the 14 teams flying to Jeddah. 

Teams on the pool stage  (1-11 on the World Tour standings )

Ub Huishan NE ( 1093 pts, 6 titles)

Ub have been No.1 all season long after winning a historic six straight Masters titles to start the season. They've had speedbumps since and rotated their line up recently to freshen up their players in time for their World Tour Final title defense.

We will wait and see if their awesome foursome will play in Jeddah with muscular Nemanja Barac having not played for some time. 

Key Player: It just has to be Strahinja Stojacic, who has been No.1 much longer than Taylor Swift on the billboards. He has dominated all the major stats in 2023 and if he finishes the season with the World Tour Final crown then he might have just capped the best ever individual season. 

 

Amsterdam HiPRO (640 pts, 1 title)

Highly-rated Amsterdam have had a rollercoaster season. We've seen a lot of them as the Dutch Masters have had much success on the pro circuit. But that form did not translate to the World Tour until their drought was broken  in Hong Kong and they head into Jeddah with a swagger. 

Key Player: Well duh, it's Worthy de Jong who has probably submitted the GOAT regular season. It's certainly the most spectacular and no one has had such a scoring explosion with de Jong averaging almost 10 ppg - a figure that seemed untouchable until now. 

 Antwerp TOPdesk (553 pts, 1 title)

There had been uncertainty entering the season whether Antwerp TOPdesk could stay among the top tier without superstar Thibaut Vervoort. They responded superbly by finishing third on the standings and made three finals, including winning in Lausanne. 

Jonas Foerts was a walking bucket all season, while Vic Van Oosterwyck was another new brilliant addition. 

Key player: Dennis Donkor is probably the best perimeter defender in 3x3. It's totally unfair that he can not only lockdown stars, but also drip wet as he often does with an average of 7.2 ppg on the World Tour. He's a menace on offense and defense. 

Vienna (545 pts, 1 title)

Similarly to Antwerp, the Austrians did not have legendary Stefan Stojacic, who led them on a surge late last season. But Vienna didn't miss a beat and really got on a roll later in the season highlighted by winning in Amsterdam. 

They have all bases covered with Quincy Diggs the team's talisman and Nico Kaltenbrunner their conductor, while Filip Kramer can play above the rim. 

Key player: If Vienna need a bucket they look to Diggs, who can fire from all angles as he proved in Amsterdam when he won MVP. He's averaging 5.9 ppg but can double it in any game he wishes to. 

 

 Liman Huishan NE  (504 pts, 1 title)

The legendary Serbs continue to be one of the elite teams in 3x3. No team has stayed up the top longer than them. For the seventh straight season, Liman had a dub on the World Tour after they won in Chengdu. 

They've again been inspired by heart and soul players Stefan Kojic and Mihailo Vasic, while Chinese player Ning Zhang has taken the leap in 2023. 

Key Player: Liman have looked a bit different this season, but remain potent due to Ning Zhang's emergence. We saw that during his MVP run in Chengdu, where he bulldozed to the paint to prove that he's a wrecking ball on the half-court. 

 

Miami (455 pts, 2 titles)

Any team wearing Miami on the jersey is going to represent glitz and glamor. And Miami have lived up to their name and the hype with a spectacular debut season for a team that doubles as Team USA. 

Miami had some growing pains early in the season before hitting their straps late in the season, where they were so close to a three-peat of World Tour titles. 

Key Player: You guessed it. No player has had more spotlight than former NBA player and collegiate phenom Jimmer Fredette, who has proved that he belongs to the half-court. He has two MVPs, averages 7.9 ppg and shoots a ridiculous 45% from 2. Winning MVP in Jeddah might just give him the 3x3 crown. 

 

 Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (438 pts, 1 title)

These fan favorites will never forget 2023. It's the season where they became the first team from 3x3 obsessed Mongolia to go all the way on the World Tour after winning in Shanghai. 

It was especially sweet for warriors Delgernyam Davaasambuu and Dulguun Enkhbat, who have given it their all for many years. 

Key Player: Steve Sir remains far more accurate than ChatGPT. The legendary sniper is shooting a crazy 42% from 2 to fuel his huge average of 7.3 ppg. He's accomplished so much, but a World Tour Final victory would be the sweetest of them all. 

 

Raudondvaris Hoptrans (433 pts, 1 title)

The high point for the lethal Lithuanians was their memorable triumph in Debrecen and they almost claimed another in Hong Kong before falling short to Amsterdam in a memorable final. 

They are built around the one-two punch of Aurelijus Pukelis and Marijus Uzupis, while Modestas Kumpys is an absolute force at the rim when he activates 'Flight Mode'. 

Key Player: Pukelis showed why he's such an offensive beast with an MVP performance in Debrecen. He's unguardable because of his inside-outside game as underlined by his near 7 ppg average. 

 

Partizan (410 pts, 1 title)

These Serbs had long been overshadowed by powerhouse compatriots, but not anymore.

They have far more firepower after adding snipers Stefan Milivojevic and Stefan Torbica, who are complemented superbly by big fella Marko Stevanovic - the driving force behind their title in Manama. 

Key player: Milivojevic has been an ice man all season for them and loves nothing more than freezing the half-court in the clutch. If he's open with the game on the line then it's over for opponents. He's ripped like a bodybuilder and it's little wonder he's universally known as 'The Gladiator'. 

 

Beijing (373 pts)

The Chinese team had more hype than Napoleon,  but it hasn't quite led to title success on the World Tour.

The additions of Latvian superheroes Karlis Lasmanis and Nauris Miezis powered Beijing, who made four semis and that was good enough to qualify for the Jeddah Final. 

Key Player: Lasmanis may have changed jerseys, but he still wears the cape. He averaged a sizzling 7.6 ppg to remind everyone why he's been one of the very best players over the last five years. 

Lausanne Sport LS (362 pts)

The Swiss are no longer a 3x3 riddle. They've been far more consistent in the backend of 2023 after doing well in their favored home event.

They made the knockouts in four of their next five stops with Carlos Martinez and Westher Molteni dominating inside the paint. 

Key player: Speedy Gilles Martin isn't just nonstop entertainment. He's also the spark plug for his team and when he ignites then Lausanne are almost impossible to stop. 

 

Play-in

San Juan (268 pts)

These young guns have justified the faith invested in the New Gen of Puerto Rican 3x3. These dudes aged in their mid-20s have played with passion all season and came mighty close to a Masters title when they reached the final in Edmonton. 

Key Player: You could easily go with Luis Cuascut, who is the master of the chase down block, but it's hard to overlook Antonio Ralat. This cold-blooded assassin has averaged 6.4 ppg, but those numbers don't even do justice to how ruthless he's been on the half-court. 

 

Paris (Most wins Masters + Challengers)

Of the teams not otherwise qualified, Paris won the spot for the team with the most wins on the pro circuit (Masters + Challengers).

Paris had been slow out of the blocks on the World Tour, but they made up for lost time after winning in Wuxi and becoming the first French team to taste success on the World Tour. 

Key Player: Wuxi MVP Franck Seguela confirmed the worst held secret in 3x3. This guy is a real one on the half-court as you can probably tell by his average of 7.5 ppg and he's just getting warmed up after his confidence received a shot in the arm in Wuxi.

 

Jeddah (Host)

Jeddah will fly the flag as the host and this new-look team showed their class with a semi-final finish in Marseille. This is a highly talented team boasting veterans Dominique Gentil and Kevin Corre who always wants more. 

Key Player: Malik Hluchoweckyj is a dude who you just have to keep an eye on at all times because you don't know what he might do with the Wilson. If he unleashes nasty tricks then he'll be the crowd favorite in Jeddah. 

 

FIBA