2021 NBA 3X finals held in Shanghai over weekend

Ti Gong

The finals of the 2021 NBA 3X were held at the West Bund Dome over the weekend.

It's the second year the NBA 3X arranged the final competitions in Shanghai after touring around nine Chinese cities in the past three months – Changsha, Wuxi, Wuhan, Shanghai, Xiamen, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Haikou and Xi'an.

More than 1,000 men's and women's teams from around the country took part in this year's tournament. The best two men's teams from each city gathered in Shanghai for the final championship.

After Saturday's knockout round, eight teams advanced to Sunday's competition, including Shanghai's SIIC Longchuang team. Eventually, Changzhou Kaida edged Longchuang in the final to become the national champion.

The women's final was also staged on Sunday. Team Weiqiao Pioneering from Xi'an beat team OURS from Guangzhou for the crown.

Ti Gong

Ti Gong

The Sunday finals attracted the attendance of former National Basketball Association player Stephon Marbury, who showed off his shooting skills for audiences during the match interval.

"I noticed that we have professional basketball players taking part in this year's tournament, which is a good learning chance for grassroots players," said the former Beijing Ducks star said.

"Three-on-three competitions are technically demanding and fast paced. It's always easier to find six players rather than 10 players for a competition. Players can polish their skills in 3-on-3 games and put them into use in 5-on-5 games," Marbury added.

According to the organizers, the best individual players of this year's NBA 3X will be given the opportunity to attend a one-week training camp in Haikou, southern Hainan Province, during which they will receive instructions from NBA training coaches.

Ti Gong