TAIYUAN, China, June 28 (Xinhua) -- As China claimed its first ever FIBA 3x3 Women's Basketball World Cup title last Sunday, 3x3 basketball has become a new focus for Chinese sports fans.
"Congratulations to China's 3x3 women's basketball team, I believe this is the beginning of the rise of Chinese 3x3 basketball," Jinshan 3x3 basketball team coach Liu Yixiang said.
The Jinshan, which was only formed on June 14th, is one of the few professional 3x3 basketball teams in China. They will play against the BIG3 legends team in the BIG3 3x3 China Games in November.
Thousands of Chinese fans are excited about the match. As a part of the street basketball culture, 3x3 basketball has been popular on Chinese street basketball courts and campuses for a long time. There are hundreds of 3x3 games in China every year.
"3x3 basketball is very popular in China, and that's why I love it here," said NBA legend George Gervin, who is the coach of BIG3 legends team. "It's got great cities, great fans, great basketball atmosphere here."
"For China's 3x3 basketball, there is still a long way to go. I hope that more teams and games will appear and more young people can join in," Chinese Basketball Association 3x3 basketball department head Chai Wensheng stated. Enditem
