Fiba 3x3 Hong Kong Masters: players hail improved event as Amsterdam take title and Paris miss season finals spot

Raudondvaris and Ub Huishan NE players among those to offer praise for event after low attendances last year were improved on this time at Victoria Park
Amsterdam seal their first title this season, while line-up is completed for next month’s World Tour finals in Jeddah

FIBA (International Basketball Federation)

Mike Chan

Published: 10:25pm, 26 Nov 2023

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Attendances on the final day of the Fiba 3x3 Hong Kong Masters lived up to the expectations of the organisers after the majority of seats at Victoria Park were filled on Sunday.

Fans were seen queuing for tickets on site early in the afternoon before they witnessed Amsterdam winning their first title this season, defeating Raudondvaris Hoptrans 21-17 in the final.

Event officials had predicted attendances to reach “80 per cent overall” and although the crowds were less than ideal during the quarter-finals in the afternoon, fans turned up in the evening for the semi-finals and final, as well as the dunk contest.

With only a handful of seats unoccupied by night, returning overseas players said Hong Kong had done a better job as host this year.

“It’s a good place, we like the city and the arena so much,” said Lithuanian player Paulius Beliavicius, who won last year with Sakiai Gulbele, now renamed Raudondvaris. “There are more fans coming in and the final stands are almost full.”

Beliavicius’s view was echoed by Strahinja Stojacic, ranked the world’s No 1 men’s player.

“Last year was good but this year is better, and I hope the Hong Kong Masters will be [part of the World Tour] every year,” the Serbian star said.

“I think most Masters tournaments in Asia are very good. We’ve won three or four this year in Asia and everyone was great. I can’t really say one is better than the other because every tournament in the region is good.”

Stojacic’s team Ub Huishan NE – who won the first six of the 17 regular-season events – were beaten, however, going down 22-17 in the semi-finals to Raudondvaris.

In an evenly contested final which saw the lead swapped early on, Amsterdam began to pull away midway through before sealing the four-point win.

One of their number, Worthy de Jong, who claimed 46 points to finish as the tournament’s top scorer, was named the weekend’s most valuable player.

Among the other matters to resolve was which team would take the 12th and last available automatic qualifying place in the season-ending finals in Saudi Arabia next month.

Amsterdam are one of the 12 teams heading to the Jeddah finals in December. Photo: Handout

Paris were close to stealing the berth from San Juan, who were 12th before the weekend and were not playing in Hong Kong. Needing to reach the semis to overtake them, the French team lost 21-19 to Raudondvaris in the quarter-finals.

The top 12, together with a home representative and a wild-card team, will now compete at the finals in Jeddah from December 8 to 9.

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