3x3 Basketball
Fast-paced and frenetic, where defence turns to attack in the blink of an eye. Top-notch shooting skills are vital as teams attack the same hoop to a backdrop of non-stop music. Welcome to 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball.
It only takes one look at the playing area to realise this is basketball — but not as we know it. This is basketball on fast forward, making its second Commonwealth Games appearance following a fantastic debut at Birmingham 2022.
The court isn’t the only thing that’s been cut in half. With just 12 seconds on the shot clock instead of the 24 permitted in full court basketball, 3×3 offers high-octane action at every turn.
Each team is made up of three players, plus one substitute. Shots scored from inside the arc-shaped scoring zone are worth one point, while shots taken from behind the arc area put two on the board.
The first team to score 21 points wins. If no team has reached 21 after 10 minutes, the team in the lead takes the win. If the scores are level, it goes to overtime, where the first team to score two points secures victory.
Previous Commonwealth Games Appearances
Birmingham 2022 was 3x3 Basketball's first ever appearance at the Commonwealth Games and was also where 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball made its world debut. The more familiar 5×5 version of the game has been contested twice at the Games — first in Melbourne 2006, and again on the Gold Coast in 2018.
Basketball Has Scottish Roots!
In 1891, Dr James Naismith created the sport. Naismith was the son of Scottish parents and first developed the game in Springfield, Massachusetts.
3x3 Wheelchair Basketball
3x3 Wheelchair Basketball is an intense blend of skill and physical contact, where teams block, steal, and rebound as they chase victory.
The height of the hoop in Wheelchair Basketball is the same as in the running game — 3.05m. Athletes must pass or bounce the ball after every two pushes on their wheelchair to avoid being penalised for travelling.
The fast-paced game lasts 10 minutes, unless scores are tied at the end of regular time.
In overtime, the first team to score two points wins the game.
A game will end in less than 10 minutes if a side reaches 21 points or more.
Given the speed of play on court and the manoeuvres required to outwit and outpace opponents, it can be difficult to brake in time. Some contact is inevitable — and can result in some spectacular collisions — but head-on contact is not allowed and can result in players being ejected from the game.
Previous Commonwealth Games Appearances
3x3 Wheelchair Basketball made its Commonwealth Games debut at Birmingham 2022, alongside the running version of the game.
Fast Facts
Wheelchair Basketball is one of the world’s oldest Para sports, and was one of the eight sports at the first Paralympic Games in Rome, 1960.
