3x3 Basketball
Get ready for high-energy and non-stop action as 3X3 Basketball and 3X3 Wheelchair Basketball hits Glasgow 2026!
With simplified rules, and just three players on each side, this is basketball on fast-forward. Accessible, exciting, and spectator friendly, 3X3 guarantees thrilling moments from first tip-off to timeouts and the time-up final buzzer.
Games move quick, shots go up fast and every point counts.
The game has exploded in popularity in recent years, from its first official event on the world stage at the 2010 Youth Olympics to its senior Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020. 3X3 then made an explosive entry to the Commonwealth Games programme at Birmingham 2022 where it generated a near unrivalled party atmosphere.
Spectators in Glasgow can expect a further extraordinary showcase of speed, skill, and teamwork across both the running and wheelchair games.
Here’s how it works:
Each team is made up of three players, plus one substitute. The game played on a half-court with just one basket and a ball designed specifically for 3X3.
With just one hoop present, there’s no concept of attacking or defending halves for the teams. The game starts with a coin toss, and the winner gets to choose whether to begin the game as the offensive team or the defensive team.
Possession switches between teams after every made basket, be it a successful field goal or an unsuccessful attempt. The defensive team can also win possession via a steal, block or defensive rebound.
Players have just 12 seconds on the shot clock instead of the 24 permitted in full court basketball.
Shots scored from inside the arc-shaped scoring zone are worth one point, whilst shots taken from behind the arc area put two on the board.
Substitutions can be made when the ball becomes dead, and the game clock is stopped. There are no breaks, no quarters and no half time – it’s one fast game,
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.
3X3 Wheelchair Basketball
3x3 Wheelchair Basketball follows many of the core rules with the running game such as the court size, hoop height, game length and first-to-21-win condition. The game does however, incorporate adaptions for wheelchair movements.
Athletes must pass or bounce the ball after every two pushes on their wheelchair to avoid being penalised for travelling.
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.
To ensure fairness across the game, 3X3 Wheelchair Basketball utilises a classification system. Classification is based on the players' functional capacity to complete the skills necessary to play - pushing, pivoting and shooting.
Each player is assigned a classification number, and the total points on the court at any time for one team is a maximum of 8.5. This ensures that the level of play on court is balanced.
Did you know?
- Birmingham 2022 marked 3X3 Basketball's first-ever appearance at the Commonwealth Games and was also where 3X3 Wheelchair Basketball made its major multi-sport debut.
- The more familiar 5X5 version of the game has been contested twice at the Games — Melbourne 2006 and Gold Coast 2018.
- 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.
- 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.
