27 Jul 2023
EDMONTON (Canada) - The World Tour will travel to a new destination as excitement builds for the first-ever FIBA 3x3 Edmonton Masters on July 28-29.
Here is all the important information you need before the fifth Masters of 2023.
Where can I watch the Edmonton Masters?
The action runs from July 28-29, and you can follow it live on the FIBA 3x3 YouTube, Facebook and Sina Weibo pages.
Who is competing in Edmonton?
This loaded draw has a total of 14 squads: Ub Huishan NE, Amsterdam HiPRO, Riga, Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy, Liman Huishan NE, Lausanne, Princeton, Wuxi, Dusseldorf LFDY, Toronto KBA, Washington DC, San Juan, Santiago UNAB, St. Boniface
What are the pools?
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Who are the favorites?
Expect anyone else? Ub Huishan NE (SRB) are gunning for the record books as they seek a record fifth title to start the World Tour season.
They are clearly the masters of the 3x3 multiverse, but don't expect these Serbs to just arrive in Edmonton and think the title will be handed to them on a platter.
Ub will be extra cautious too after slipping at this stage last season, having lost at the fifth stop in Debrecen to Antwerp (BEL) in an unforgettable final.
There are plenty of contenders out to dethrone them, starting with Amsterdam HiPRO (NED), who lost to Ub in the final at Marseille.
The Dutch Masters shook off that disappointment by going on a tear with consecutive triumphs on the pro circuit as they eye a first Masters victory in more than two years.
Liman Huishan NE (SRB) came so close in Macau in their World Tour season debut, but won't have sniper Stefan Kojic.
But they should still be a major contender after unearthing rising Chinese star Ning Zhang, who lit up the Wynn Palace surroundings.
Riga (LAT) deserve the respect given their status in 3x3 and we have a feeling Miroslav Pasajlic is just getting warmed up after his clutch performances in Macau.
We'll put Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy (MGL) amongst the main contenders after reaching the semis in Macau.
With Canadian 3x3 legend Steve Sir returning home, you just know he'll be pumped-up and determined to help Ulaanbaatar win a historic first Masters for a Mongolian team.
There are numerous teams who could upstage the top seeds. We can't name them all - but there is certainly one ridiculously entertaining team you have to keep your eyes glued on.
You guessed it, Washington DC (USA) who make their World Tour season debut and are ready to put on a show, namely recent NBA player Charlie Brown Jr who has already proven he can dominate the half-court.
Who are the players to watch?
Is this where the Strahinja Stojacic-Worthy de Jong rivalry really heats up?
Stojacic has been clearly the best 3x3 player in recent seasons, but de Jong is closing the gap during his electrifying debut season with Amsterdam HiPRO .
It almost seems impossible that the Dutch Master can average 10 ppg on the tough World Tour, but he's setting the bar high as he aims for the No.1 status.
There are plenty of other stars beyond those headliners with Stojacic's pal Marko Brankovic the reigning Masters MVP after his typically silky smooth performance in Macau.
De Jong's teammate Maarten Bouwknecht is a breakout star and certified bucket getter, while San Juan's Antonio Ralat is also a new kid on the block making an instant impact.
Walking bucket Henry Caruso is the new poster boy for Princeton, who want to prove they are still the real deal in 3x3.
While Wuxi's (CHN) Jiaren Zhao and Niklas Kropp from Dusseldorf LFDY (GER) appear to be created in the 3x3 lab because these young guns have skill-sets that shouldn't be humanly possible.
And Brown Jr won't hog all the attention on Washington DC with Khalil Iverson and Keaton Wallace almost locks to feature in our top 5 plays of the tournament.
FIBA