Kolkata To Host The Third Leg Of The 3x3 Pro Basketball League On 7th And 8th July 2018

The inaugural season of the 3x3 Pro Basketball League (3BL), after kicking off in Delhi in June 2018, will widen its footprint in the country with its third leg in Kolkata at South City Mall in Kolkata, on 7th and 8th July 2018. The first and only league in India recognized by FIBA will showcase talented basketball stars like Inderbir Singh Gill, Timajh Parker-Rivera, Eban Hyams and more. The two teams to outperform the rest in this leg will get the chance to represent first time at the FIBA 3x3 World Tour in Utsunomiya, Japan, on the 28th and 29th July 2018.

The last two Rounds have seen the Delhi Hoopers take home the victory putting a target on their back, while the home team Kolkata has suffered a few tough Rounds. However, with the introduction of Kolkata’s International – Stefan Bujagic, a Serbian National with a deep history in 3x3 – the home Team is bound to have a good showing in front of the Home crowd.

Ahmedabad and Chennai, Runners Up in Round 1 and 2 respectively, will be looking to build on their strong team chemistry and internal improvements / learnings to take down the Champions.

Kolkata has defied all odds by being the football hub of India, although cricket has been the leading sport of the nation. West Bengal has also shown the passion for other sports and basketball is all set to capture the hearts of Bengali people.

The current team standings:

Rohit Bakshi, League Commissioner, 3BL - 3x3 Pro Basketball League said, “Our first two rounds in Delhi and Aizawl received a marvellous response and we are more than excited to take it forward to Kolkata. With every round the game gets more challenging and with Kolkata being an immensely sporty city, we are surely going to experience some of the best moments of the season there. Kolkata is a city where we have great potential to reach far and wide to all the passionate audience. 3BL already possesses the required uniqueness to attract fans and we are hoping we can add to the development of basketball in this city while we are here, and give brands and people a great opportunity to keep up with the trend.”

Vivek Krishna, Entertainment Director, 3BL said “Today’s sports lovers demand the perfect blend of entertainment and all the challenging facets of sports. With 3BL we can assure that, we will not only live up to these expectations, but also surpass them. We noticed a very energetic response from the Delhi and Aizawl and we hope the people of Kolkata receive 3BL with the same amount of love.”

3x3 basketball is a shortened variant of the widely followed 5x5 format, with just half the basketball court and a hasty 10 minutes of gameplay. A team of 4 will have 3 players constantly on the court with 1 rolling substitute. This is its inaugural season in India, with an introduction of 12 teams – Delhi Hoopers, Chandigarh Beasts, Jaipur Regals, Aizawl Legends, Kolkata Warriors, Ahmedabad Wingers, Bangalore Machas, Goa Snipers, Kochi Knights, Hyderabad Ballers, Chennai Icons and Mumbai Hustlers. The league will further continue in Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai up to the 26th of August 2018.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have recognized 3x3 Basketball as a medal sport. Moreover, 3x3 basketball has seen its growth and success across 144 countries, making it one of the fastest growing modern team sports in the world. India has recently joined the movement and this marks a historic moment as an Indian 3x3 basketball team participates in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour. The first time ever India will be hosting the World Tour, organised and marketed by YKBK Enterprise Private Limited.