Macau, China, concluded its fourth International Basketball Federation -FIBA- 3×3 World Tour event on Sunday with victory for Ub, of Serbia, and the tournament’s debut at the Ruins of St. Paul’s. The Serbian team defeated Shanghai 21–15 to claim their third title of the season, with Marko Brankovic named Most Valuable Player. Sixteen teams competed over the weekend as part of a wider programme connecting professional basketball with local businesses, community associations and children’s activities.
The Macao Sports Bureau and StarMac Entertainment organised the event, with the collaboration of the Macau-China Basketball Association and Chaiioi Sports, and support from the Macao Government Tourism Office. The tournament offered a total prize purse of US$185,000 and free admission for residents and visitors. Six of the sixteen participating teams contested qualifying rounds for the final two places in the twelve-team main draw. The organisers combined international competition with open access at one of the city’s leading tourist landmarks.
Bringing the tournament into the historic centre
For the first time, the court brought this World Tour stop to the façade of the former Church of Mater Dei, a landmark within Macau’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic centre. The location took the tournament outside an indoor arena and placed it alongside a site reflecting the city’s Chinese and Portuguese influences. The games were complemented by shooting and dunk contests, won by Toni Blazan and Piotr Grabowski, respectively. For Grabowski, it was his second World Tour dunk contest victory of the season.
Neighbourhood involvement extended to nearly twenty food and beverage outlets, cultural and creative businesses, and local brands. The organisers introduced basketball-themed games in shops and event-linked offers to encourage spectators to explore the district. The initiative forms part of the local “Tourism+” and “Sports+” policies, which seek to connect sport, tourism and commercial activity. The link with local businesses took the form of activities inside their premises, although the published review provides no attendance or spending figures with which to quantify the economic impact.
Basketball for young players and community groups
The Stars of Tomorrow children’s programme ran alongside the World Tour, with more than twenty teams across different age groups announced from the Greater Bay Area, which connects Macau, Hong Kong and cities in Guangdong province. Matches were scheduled at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion and the Ruins of St. Paul’s on Saturday and Sunday. The programme included opportunities for young players to watch the professional competition and interact with its players, combining their own time on court with a chance to meet international circuit stars.
The organisers also opened venues for competitions and introductory activities involving women’s, neighbourhood and workers’ associations. That community participation was complemented by a cultural programme for international teams: working with the association responsible for the Na Tcha temple, the organisers arranged visits to the historic centre and local museums. Heritage featured both in the sporting setting and in the activities planned for participants, bringing opportunities to explore the city into their competitive visit.
A programme that continues
The 3×3 action continues this week with the Greater Bay Area Tour Finals, scheduled for 19–21 October, also with free admission. This is a separate competition from the World Tour, following events and qualifiers in Foshan, Zhaoqing, Shenzhen, Hengqin and Macau. The women’s competition is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, and the men’s for Tuesday and Wednesday. Group games are split between Tap Seac and the Ruins of St. Paul’s, with the knockout rounds and finals concentrated at the landmark. Cash and non-cash prizes together exceed MOP700,000.
On court, Ub reclaimed a title they had previously won in 2023 and 2024, joining Baskets Bonn as the only teams with three World Tour victories this season. Shanghai reached their first final of the campaign, Miami, of the United States, finished third, and local representatives Cotai WOLFUNITED reached the quarter-finals and placed eighth. The fourth edition maintained Macau’s presence on the circuit while introducing a setting closely linked to its urban identity. The succession of professional, children’s and regional tournaments extends the programme beyond Sunday’s finals, involving different audiences and participants.
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