The first plays of the street version of basketball began this afternoon on July 30th with a lot of tension. The most popular urban sport globally is now underway in its second appearance at the Olympic Games. 

This sport, which finds its roots in urban basketball, is a more 'relaxed' and 'casual' version of traditional indoor basketball. However, this doesn’t align with the Olympic excitement, where the competitive spirit is present in every push, every drop of sweat, every fingertip block...

Due to the great success and growing popularity of this format, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to incorporate 3x3 basketball into the program of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. And rightly so, its format is as dynamic as it is groundbreaking: the first to reach 21 points, or the team with the most points at the end of the game, wins.

Every half hour, a battle between six players competing at their best under the same basket. And at La Concorde, the frenetic initial round of group stage matches has just kicked off with the following games:

Germany vs. the USA, Australia vs. Canada, France vs. China, and Spain vs. Azerbaijan in the women’s bracket.
Latvia vs. Lithuania, China vs. Netherlands, Poland vs. France, and the highly anticipated Serbia vs. USA match as the main event in the men’s bracket.

The American women’s 3x3 basketball team had a rough start in defending their title, shockingly falling to Germany 13-17. The reigning Olympic champions had started the game well but were counterattacked by the Germans, whose defensive pressure seemed to unsettle the renewed American squad, scoring only a little over a dozen points.

Canada demonstrated its status as a contender for medals. Their offensive power, led by the Plouffe sisters, who scored 18 of the 22 points for the North American team, left Australia, eager to dream and compete for medals, stunned by Canada’s bold performance.

In the 3x3 basketball format, the men’s and women’s brackets are interspersed. That’s why the third game on Tuesday’s schedule at La Concorde featured a high-flying matchup: a Baltic derby, always characterized by a fighting spirit and team play.

And naturally, it was. Latvia’s gold in Tokyo, surprising the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), found themselves in a precarious position, having to defend their throne three years later.

Miezis, with 9 points, donned his best outfit and gave the reigning Olympic champions their first victory in a true defensive showcase that ended with Latvia winning by a 7-point margin, 21-14.

The next six players on the court came from what was expected to be one of the more overlooked matchups. But what a pity for those who missed the chance to see this game between the surprising European team and the always historic and tough China. Thus, the China vs. Netherlands game was a back-and-forth affair with many lead changes until the Dutch’s solidity and experience prevailed: 16-21.

After a two-hour break from 7 to 9 pm that marked the restart of the day’s action, an unspoken but significant clash took place. This was the case of the underdog Azerbaijan and the ‘four musketeers’ of Spain. Spain’s journey  to the Games was remarkable. In the OQT before the Paris event, they qualified for the first time with a last-second, backwards basket. A feat that marked the course of a team that fears nothing.

Both countries, Azerbaijan and Spain made their Olympic debut in 3X3 discipline. Spain secured the win by the minimum of 18-16 in a crazy clash that rewarded the Spanish determination.

Following that match, the host nation wanted to get victories in both the women’s and men’s sides against China and Poland, respectively. The Asian giant, bronze winners in Tokyo, tried to continue their winning streak in this new edition, while the Poles pose a tough challenge for the hosts. 

Curiously, both games seemed to have the same script: equality. But they did not only coincide in that. They ended with the same score: 19-21. However, France did not have both victories. In the women's game, China was the lucky one, while in the men's game, hosts beat Poland.

The day was capped off with the ultimate decisive battle, the anticipated final between Tokyo's bronze winners, Serbia led by Strahinja Stojacic, and the renewed U.S. team commanded by the excellent ex-NBA shooter, Jimmer Fredette. Once again, Serbia proved that it has the measure of the Americans, making the crowd explode at La Concorde with an electrifying match. The tension was high until the end. The result was a powerful 22-14 in favour of the Europeans.

Tomorrow will continue with the second round of this initial test in the groups featuring another round of eight exciting matches.