HONG KONG ( Hong Kong, China) - Amsterdam (NED) emerge victorious, defeating Paris (FRA) 22 - 20 in a thriller to win the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Hong Kong Final 2024 on November 24.
The Dutch side battled adversity early in pool phase to go on a historical run, defeating two-time reigning champs Ub Huishan NE in the quarter-final before defeating Raudondvaris Hoptrans in the semis to book their spot in the final.
They would go up against Paris who had been relentless all tournament, feeding off high momentum coming into this event and making a deep run in the competition. They last defeated Riffa in the semis to book the high-octane final showdown against Amsterdam. It would be a repeat of the Paris Summer Olympics 2024 Gold Medal game that saw the Netherlands face off against France. In that iteration, it was the Dutch who came away with a historic win in Overtime thanks to talisman Worthy de Jong.
The Regular season MVP Worthy, who had been at the forefront of the Dutch offense all tournament got things going for his side early but the fluid Paris sliced through their opposition to secure early points. Franck Seguela and Paul Djoko opened scoring from deep as well, giving the French the early 4-point advantage.
The Dutch kept fighting, battling Paris with physicality and marking their presence in the paint through crafty playmaking. Slagter and Driessen kept the offense ticking while Alberts and Worthy made key defensive plays to pull themselves back into the game.
Paris and Amsterdam traded buckets in the later half of the game, a resemblance to their epic matchup in their Olympic Gold Medal Game in Paris. Scores were tied at 15 apiece with just over 3 minutes to go.
The finish turned out to be a flurry with both teams going blow for blow, but Paris landing the heavier one. Worthy drained a two to answer the French onslaught, leaving the scores at 19 - 17 to Paris.
Amsterdam would continue to battle, tying the game at 19 apiece. Franck Seguela seemingly got the winning shot, but the two would be challenged and be deemed a one-point shot. Worthy would tie the game late to take the game to overtime.
The similarities to their Olympic clash would repeat themselves as it would be Worthy de Jong who would make the all-important two to hand Amsterdam the coveted finals title, bookending a magical year for the Dutch.
Worthy de Jong was at the heart of the Dutch success all season, and he brought his prowess yet again in Hong Kong. Astute defense, critical plays and a high scoring clip set him apart. He finished with 39 points and a tournament-high player value of 53.1. He would wrap up a historic season with the finals MVP in Hong Kong.
In the individual contests, Jonas Foerts (Riffa, BRN) won the Shoot-Out Contest while Piotr “Grabo” Grabowski won the Maurice Lacroix Dunk Contest.
STANDINGS
1. Amsterdam (NED)
2. Paris (FRA)
3. Riffa (BRN)
4. Raudondvaris Hoptrans (LTU)
5. Princeton (USA)
6. Ub Huishan NE (SRB)
7. Partizan Meta Force (SRB)
8. Miami (USA)
9. Lausanne (SUI)
10. Liman (SRB)
11. Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (MGL)
12. Vienna (AUT)
13. Kandava Turiba (LAT)
14. Hong Kong (HKG)