Basketball
The history behind streetball and the rise of 3on3
Read the story of streetball, from Rucker to Red Bull King of the Rock and to eventually the global 3on3 tournament that is Red Bull Half Court.
Part of this story
Basketball is a game of the streets. It's one of the few sports anyone can play – all you need is a hoop and a ball. Streetball is a variation of basketball that features a less formal structure than the traditional sport. It encourages players to showcase their skills while implementing a relaxed approach to the conventional rules of basketball.
The exact origins of streetball are undocumented. What we know for sure is that the game is rooted in highly populated basketball areas like New York and Washington in the United States.
13 min
Washington DC
Chris Matthews, aka Lethal Shooter, and Chloe Pavlech explore Washington DC’s hoop culture vibe.
01
Where it all started
In 1950, a teacher from Harlem named Holcombe L Rucker started a basketball tournament in the neighbourhood park to help impoverished youngsters pursue a college career. The 'Rucker' subsequently became the most storied blacktop the planet has to offer. To this day, the annual summer tournament Entertainers Basketball Classic features the best of the best. It's that time of the year when streetball legends and seasoned NBA superstars come together to battle it out.
The original streetball contest – Rucker
© Willie Anderson/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
Players like Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dr J, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, John Wall and Harrison Barnes played here in front of crowds that gazed from fences, trees, windows and even roofs. The ballers showcasing their skills here have always featured dunks and crossover dribbles that excited the spectators, a playing style that used to be foreign to the official league NBA.
02
Streetball finds a new audience
In recent years, streetball has been introduced to mainstream media with the AND1 Mixtape Tour, among others, leading the way since 1998. Streetball legends like 'Skip 2 My Lou', 'Hot Sauce', and 'The Professor' showcase mad ballhandling tricks and amazing dunks on ESPN, gaining worldwide attention. More TV shows such as City Slam or the movies Above the Rim, White Men Can't Jump, and the 2013 documentary about the Rucker, Doin' It in the Park, have caused a great increase in media exposure for the game in the streets.
03
The game is what you make it
What makes streetball unique is that from its early days, only one basket was ever in play, and only half a basketball court was ever used. Due to constraints on the space of the court, streetball is played with anywhere from two people (one on each side) to six people (three players on each side). Four on each side is possible but rare as it quickly becomes too crowded when playing on a single basket.
It's fair to say streetball is seen very much as a socially led game played on playgrounds and inner-city basketball worldwide, but there are outlets for players looking for a more competitive edge. Tournaments like Red Bull King of the Rock (1on1), Red Bull Reign (3on3) and Red Bull Half Court (3on3) have emerged as a way for streetball players to showcase their talents, experience the glory of winning, earn prize money and grow the game in their respective countries.
26 min
Own Your Game
Relive the fastest 3on3 basketball tournament's world final through the eyes of the players.
04
Making Streetball truly global – Red Bull King of the Rock
Initially only open to players from the West Coast of the United States when it started in 2010, the toughest one-on-one tournament in the world expanded internationally quickly through the years and ran until 2016.
Early winners of Red Bull Kings of the Rock, when the contest was still held at the infamous Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, were Izeah 'Clutch' Bowman (2010), Hugh 'Baby Shaq' Jones (2011, 2012) and Tarron 'The Beast' Williams (2013). The 2014 finals were held in Taiwan, with Turkey's Kivanc Dinler coming out on top, a win he repeated the following year when the finals were held in his native Istanbul. Stefan Kojic of Serbia won the last-ever Kings of the Rock tournament.
Tarron Williams in competition at the 2013 Red Bull King of the Rock Finals
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
The 2016 finals were in Belgrade
© Armin Walcher/Red Bull Content Pool
In 2013, ambassador Blake Griffin said about the competition: "This has got to be the coolest basketball event I've ever been to. The atmosphere, the crowd, the players, it's streetball at its finest." He also added: "It's not just an American-dominated sport anymore," reflecting on the event's internationality.
Red Bull King of the Rock also had a female-only setup, giving women's basketball players the chance to fully showcase their skills against other girls.
05
3on3 gets popular
As 3on3 became more popular in the '90s and early '00s at both a grassroots and competitive level, basketball's worldwide governing body FIBA became more interested. IN 2007, FIBA decided to trial organised 3on3 basketball at the Asian Indoor Games in Macau, China. The format – featuring only one basket and two teams of three players on a half-court – was immediately well received and led FIBA to introduce the sport at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
Since 2012, FIBA has organised 3on3 World Championships as well as a 3on3 World Tour, while in 2017, US rapper Ice Cube founded the 3on3 professional league, Big3, in America. That same year, the International Olympic Committee announced that 3on3 basketball would debut at the Games in Tokyo. The USA claimed gold in the women’s event, and Latvia triumphed in the men’s tournament in 2021.
Dušan Bulut is one of the greatest ever 3on3 players
© Markus Berger/Red Bull Content Pool
06
Red Bull Reign and Red Bull Half Court comes to town
Building on the success of Red Bull King of Rock, a 3on3 tournament was conceived by Red Bull – Red Bull Reign. This tournament saw national finals played in countries across the world.
1 min
Introduction to Red Bull Reign
Red Bull Reign is on a mission to find the best streetballers and give them a chance to compete in the international arena.
The learnings from Reign saw Red Bull's 3on3 offering evolve to Red Bull Half Court, a tournament concept that started in 2021 and continues to run to this day. The tournament has qualifiers and rounds in more than 20 countries for a chance to play in an overall World Final, making Red Bull Half Court the most global streetball tournament in the world.
In 2021's Red Bull Half Court World Final, the Serbian men, who had one of the world's best 3on3 players in Dušan Bulut on the team, beat Russia in the world final in Rome. In the women's event, Russia edged out Italy for the win. The 2022 final was in Cairo, Egypt. The men's final saw Italy triumphant as they beat Japan, while in the women's competition, Japan got the better of Australia. In 2023, finals took place in Serbia and this saw Egypt emerged as the victorious women's team after defeating Japan, while the home Serbia squad secured the men's championship title having managed to overcome Poland.
22 min
Ball is Life: 3on3 Showdown at the Pyramids
The Pyramids of Giza played host to the hoops community at the world’s biggest 3-on-3 streetball tournament.
Red Bull Half Court have introduced a new feature of the 2024 season with the ability to score a 3 point shot. Courts will have 3-POINT-SPOTS, which are marked by two circles with a 3-foot diameter drawn 2 metres behind the arc. If a player's foot touches a 3-point spot while shooting and scoring, the shot is rewarded with 3 points.
Want to experience the best of RedBull.com on the move? Get our mobile app.
Part of this story