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Basketball
5 reasons why Red Bull Half Court has the answer to your hoop dreams
Bred from the street, 3x3 basketball is all about owning the court and Red Bull Half Court is a worldwide search to uncover the best ballers around.
Written by Joe Batchelor
3 min readUpdated on
The quest is on to find the world’s best streetballers with Red Bull Half Court. The 3x3 tournament will see the best men's and women's teams battling it out in more than 20 countries across four continents to find the global champions.
The new season of Red Bull Half Court will tip off in Japan and China at the beginning of May. It will take in further stops in countries including Turkey, Italy, Nigeria, the UK and Pakistan over the summer. A total of up to 24 national champions will be crowned from the global qualifiers before going on play in the World Final in October in Rome.
Here are five reasons you should be excited about Red Bull Half Court:
Participants perform at Red Bull Half Court finals 2020 in Vilnius, Lithuania on August 14, 2020.
Red Bull Half Court kicked off in Lithuania with all-out action© Vytautas Dranginis/Red Bull Content Pool

1. It’s fast and furious

Basketball, as you know it, is already pretty rapid end-to-end stuff. But in 3x3 half court, speed and aggression is of the essence. Each match lasts just 10 minutes and takes place on half a basketball court. There's no time to catch your breath for players and spectators alike, as both teams go all-out to score buckets.

2. The rules are simple

It couldn’t be simpler to follow and understand 3x3 basketball. Teams of three take each other on, with one hoop to aim for. Every time a bucket is scored, possession switches over to the other team. The first outfit to 21 points wins or else the team with the highest score after the 10-minute game ends.
Venue at the Red Bull Half Court Finals 2020 in Vilnius, Lithuania on August 14, 2020.
The 3x3 action at Red Bull Half Court is fast, furious and fun© Vytautas Dranginis/Red Bull Content Pool

3. Attack, attack, attack!

Red Bull Half Court is a high-octane attacking format, but it comes with one twist. Teams play in pools, and for every match won they score five points. However, there's also an Own the Court bonus awarded to the team in each group to score the most points across the games, so being offence-minded in every minute of every match is the name of the game, as even if teams don't win every game they can still find a way through to the next round.

4. It’s not just basketball

Alongside the skills on the court, there will also be action off it with the streetball culture being represented through music, fashion and art as well.

5. It takes place all over the world

This contest is for ballers all over the world. In 2021, the new season will begin in Japan, with tour stops following in more than 20 further countries before the World Final in October in Rome. In the last global competition in 2019, more than 2,500 athletes in more than 650 teams from 16 countries battled it in 2019 to qualify for the World Finals.
Participants perform at Red Bull Half Court finals 2020 in Vilnius, Lithuania on August 14, 2020.
You can join ballers from around the world in the fight for glory© Vytautas Dranginis/Red Bull Content Pool
Basketball