3x3 basketball back for the Paris Olympics
Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00From the streets to the Olympic Games. Born a few decades ago, 3-on-3 basketball has kept
00:06its original spirit intact. Music is compulsory, just like it is at the park. Matches last
00:1310 minutes and are played on a half-court. There's just one hoop and the first team to
00:18score 21 points wins.
00:20There's no down time. You have to be really good at combining moves. When it comes to
00:26managing your emotions as well, it requires a lot of skill because you can't just stop
00:30when you've missed a shot.
00:32I think it's a more intelligent form of basketball. You have to find the right positions, take
00:37up the space and dominate the game. It's really cool.
00:44Introduced three years ago in Tokyo, 3-on-3 basketball has won over the International
00:48Olympic Committee. This street version of basketball is considered the world's number
00:53one urban sport. But there's still a long way to go. Even at the highest level, a majority
00:58of players still compete with traditional basketball clubs.
01:03It's becoming more and more professional. Before there were tournaments but no prize
01:07money. Now there's more and more prize money.
01:10I think there'll be more and more support. There are places like Asia where there are
01:14already championships and little by little the standard is getting higher.
01:20A male and female team of French players will be competing at this year's Olympic Games,
01:25hoping to win a first 3-on-3 basketball medal for France.