3×3 has been a basketball format long played in streets and gyms across the world, albeit in a less formal way. Starting in the late 1980s, 3×3 game rules started to become standardized throughout the United States, most notably through the Gus Macker and Hoop It Up tournament series, which held large events across the country that included teams and players from all skill levels. In 1992, Adidas launched its now-discontinued streetball competition. Since then, the number of 3×3 events and competitions has been steadily growing around the world.
FIBA took the decision to first test 3×3 at the 2007 Asian Indoor Games in Macau. Further test events were held in April 2008 in the Dominican Republic and October 2008 in Indonesia. The international debut was at the 2009 Asian Youth Games: 19 teams competed in the boys’ tournament and 16 teams competed in the girls’ tournament. All games were held at Anglican High School in Tanah Merah, Singapore. 3×3 made its worldwide competitive debut at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore. The competition featured 20 teams in both boys’ and girls’ categories. The competition was held at the Youth Space. Since then, world championships in both open and U18 categories are held regularly.
After the success in Singapore, FIBA launched a full program to make 3×3 a standalone game with its own format and regular competitions. 3×3 will debut as an Olympic sport at the 2020 Summer Olympics.