Alex Sanchez Photo: Courtesy of FIBA

Building on China's 3x3 basketball team's sporting achievements, the world basketball governing body FIBA (International Basketball Federation) has arranged for several international 3x3 events to be held in China, spanning cities such as Chengdu, Shanghai and Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region).

FIBA 3x3 Managing Director Alex Sanchez captured the significance in a recent interview with the Global Times.

"China has established itself as one of the most dynamic 3x3 basketball ecosystems in the world, and the 2026 event calendar will further deepen that foundation," Sanchez told the Global Times. 

"With five World Tour stops and the Women's Series Final in 2026, China, taken as a whole, is the single largest national host in the history of both competitions." 

This multi-city footprint signals China's transformation into a core powerhouse driving the global growth of the discipline. 

Behind this rapid rise as a global host lies a carefully constructed domestic foundation.

Professional ecosystem

China introduced 3x3 basketball as a distinct discipline from traditional 5x5 in the early 2010s, but real momentum surged after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added it to the Games. 

By 2022, under the leadership of Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) figures and with structural reforms emphasizing a completely new system separate from 5x5 basketball, the country launched its dedicated Chinese 3x3 basketball league. 

The league, which tipped off its 2025 season with expanded ambitions to cultivate elite talent, has created professional pathways, club competitions, and youth programs that feed directly into national teams. 

"Structural investment at the domestic level is the essential foundation for international success," Sanchez said. "China's commitment to building a 3x3 ecosystem through league development and investment in elite training pathways is producing tangible results." 

That long-term investment is now beginning to translate into tangible results on the international stage.

Validate investment

China's sustained investment is now translating into results on the court. On the women's side, China established itself as a global force early. 

The 2019 FIBA 3x3 Women's World Cup victory in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, powered by stars like Jiang Jiayin, marked a historic breakthrough. This was followed by a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, cementing the team's status among the world's elite. 

The men's program has shown an equally impressive upward trajectory. 

In March 2025, at the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in Singapore, the Chinese athletes delivered their best-ever performance, reaching the finals and earning silver after a competitive showdown with five-time champions Australia. 

This built on strong showings in World Tour events throughout 2024 and 2025, where Chinese teams like Beijing and Chongming upset top-ranked international sides. 

"China's appearance in the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2025 final was a powerful demonstration of the national program's upward trajectory, and the depth of Chinese representation at World Tour events in 2024 and 2025 signaled that the country is producing players capable of competing with the world's elite," Sanchez noted.

As China's competitiveness improves, the impact of hosting elite events at home becomes even more significant.

A Chinese athlete goes for a layup during a FIBA 3x3 event in Dongguan, South China's Guangdong Province, on October 9, 2025. Photo: VCG

Home advantage

With the opening stops of the FIBA 3x3 Women's Series set for Chengdu and Shanghai in May, followed by the Shanghai Final in September, and five men's World Tour events spanning Chengdu, Shanghai, Deqing, Macao and Hong Kong SARs, China is hosting an unprecedented concentration of elite competition. 

This will amplify 3x3 basketball's momentum in China in profound ways, Sanchez said. 

"This concentration of elite-level competition across China is unprecedented in the World Tour's 15-year history and speaks directly to the depth, reliability, and ambition of the Chinese 3x3 basketball hosting ecosystem," he said. 

"The presence of the world's best teams and players in the Chinese cities provides invaluable competitive benchmarking for Chinese coaches and selectors. The gap between watching opponents on video and competing against them on a home court is enormous." 

With the IOC expanding the 2028 Los Angeles Games field from eight to 12 teams per gender, and the 24-month Olympic ranking cycle starting in December 2025, every 2026 match carries direct qualification weight. 

Hosting world-class competition at home gives Chinese national team players and emerging talents the opportunity to accumulate FIBA ranking points in front of home crowds, a significant psychological advantage. 

"Playing in front of passionate crowds in an electric home atmosphere generates energy that elevates performance," Sanchez said. 

At the grassroots level, the impact may be even greater.

"When a young Chinese basketball player watches their heroes compete at the highest level, in their own city, the idea of one day doing the same moves from abstract aspiration to concrete possibility," he said.

Beyond megacities

While major urban centers anchor the calendar, smaller cities are also stepping into the spotlight.

For emerging hosts such as Deqing in East China's Zhejiang Province, inclusion in the series represents more than a sporting event, Sanchez argued.

"Hosting the FIBA 3x3 World Tour is one of the most powerful place-branding tools available to any city, and Deqing's debut on the 2026 calendar is a landmark opportunity. 

Deqing's unique setting, natural environment, and local culture will be woven into that global narrative in ways that conventional advertising campaigns cannot achieve." 

Ultimately, China's strategy reflects a broader virtuous cycle: Elite hosting drives visibility, visibility fuels grassroots participation, and participation strengthens the talent pipeline, reinforcing the country's emergence as a global hub for 3x3 basketball.

"This history of consistent, world-class hosting is precisely what drives grassroots development," Sanchez said. "Young players and fans see the highest level of the sport playing out in their cities and are inspired to participate."