🏛️Official — FIBA
Loading OpenSourceSports…
Team Sports
3–6 players
outdoor
ball
10 essential rules
3x3 Basketball is FIBA's fast, half-court basketball discipline played by two teams of three players (plus one substitute each) on a single basket. Born in the streetball tradition and formalized as an Olympic sport at Tokyo 2020, 3x3 has its own complete rule set, its own world rankings, its own...
Single basket positioned at the end of the half-court; Standard basketball hoop: 18-inch (45.7 cm) diameter, 10 feet (3.05 m) high; Standard backboard: 6 feet wide × 3.5 feet high (1.83 m × 1.07 m)
The check-ball restart area is the top of the arc at the half-court line opposite the basket. After a made basket and on out-of-bounds restarts in specific scenarios, the offensive team takes the ball at the check-ball spot and passes it to a defe...
At the start of the game and after dead balls in specific scenarios, the offensive team starts at the check-ball area at the top of the arc. The ball is passed from offense to defense, then back from defense to offense ("checked"), and play resumes.
If the offensive team (after a defensive rebound or steal) attempts a shot or scores without first clearing the ball outside the 3-point arc, the basket does not count and the defensive team gains possession at the check-ball area.
3x3 is unique among FIBA disciplines in that coaches are not permitted on the bench during play in standard FIBA 3x3 competition — the players themselves manage strategy, substitutions, and timeout...
FIBA follows the IOC consensus on concussion in sport: any player with a suspected concussion is removed from play and is subject to a graduated return-to-play assessment before being cleared for subsequent competition. Match-day diagnosis is the ...
Single half-court, 15 m wide × 11 m long (approximately 49 ft × 36 ft); One basket at the end opposite the check-ball restart area; 3-point arc at 6.75 m from the basket (matches FIBA 5-on-5)
Outdoor surfaces: synthetic 3x3 court tiles, asphalt, or concrete; Indoor surfaces: hardwood or synthetic sport floor; FIBA-approved 3x3 World Tour events typically use pop-up synthetic flooring on a flat outdoor surface in city-center venues
1 point for a field goal made from inside the 6.75 m arc (a "deuce" worth 1 in 3x3, distinct from the 2-point deuce in 5-on-5); 2 points for a field goal made from beyond the 6.75 m arc (a "trey" worth 2 in 3x3, distinct from the 3-point trey in 5-on-5); The 1/2 scoring scale is the most distinct...
Each successful free throw is worth 1 point.
Honor the check-in: give the defender a fair moment before attacking
After every made basket or dead ball, the offensive team must bring the ball to the arc and wait for a defender to physically touch it before attacking. Receiving the check and immediately launching a shot — technically legal — before the defender can contest is considered a serious breach of etiquette rooted in 3x3's pickup-ball origins.
The check-in is a written FIBA rule; the etiquette norm is giving the defense a genuine competitive moment to get set, not just the mechanical touch.
Don't flop — flopping is antithetical to 3x3's identity
Exaggerated falls or theatrical reactions to minimal contact to draw foul calls are especially scorned in 3x3. Given the sport's streetball origins and its cultural emphasis on toughness and authenticity, flopping is viewed as a fundamental betrayal of the game's values — far more so than in 5-on-5 organized basketball.
Ready to dive deeper?