Following its resounding success in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, 3×3 basketball was the main attraction last weekend at Iulius Town in Timișoara, where the fifth stop of the BCR Sport Arena Streetball national circuit took place.
The competition saw 60 teams and 240 players registered, including two legendary players from Romania’s national basketball team and Timișoara basketball, Dan Păltinișanu and Bogdan Popescu.
The two competed against each other in the 35+ category, where Popescu, a 2014 European champion with Romania’s 3×3 national team, dominated the final with 15 points out of his team’s 21. His team, G-Unit, won the final 21-18 against the Ursuleții team, led by Dan Păltinișanu, a two-time Romanian Cup winner with BCM Timișoara.
For three days, Iulius Town became a basketball hub, featuring three courts, one of which was indoors in the Atrium, marking the first time this venue hosted a team sports event, following previous dance and bodybuilding competitions. The basketball-themed activities, encouraging everyone present to engage in movement and sports, took place on all three courts as well as in the fan zone. Participants were cheered on by the well-known journalist Florin Mihoc, a great supporter of sports, who has covered many national and international sporting events throughout his career.
A total of 100 3×3 basketball games were played, many of which had spectators on the edge of their seats, whether it was the matches between experienced players in the Open categories or the exciting duels of future stars in the kids and junior categories.
The champions in the Open category, Știința București for men and CS Vâlcea 1924 for women, were each awarded a €1,000 prize. Ovidiu Negoiță, who scored a total of 37 points, including seven in the final, was named MVP in the men’s category, while Dora Ardelean, with 19 points, claimed the title for the women’s category. Both players received an Undone watch celebrating Romania’s only superhero, Căpitanul Ro, offered by Albini Prassa. The Horizon Rising Star award for the best young player of the competition went to Elias Drăgan.
Over 100 participants who reached the final stages of the competition in the 11 age and gender categories were awarded prizes.
The BCR Sport Arena Streetball national 3×3 basketball circuit will conclude with the final tournament, which will take place in Bucharest from September 6-8.
BCR Sport Arena Streetball Timișoara was funded by Timișoara Municipality through the Center for Projects and was brought to yu by Iulius Town, BCR, Mastercard, Nike, BCR Leasing, Horizon, BCR Life Insurance, Kandia Dulce, Ideal Board Games, Subaru through SMT Pallady, and the Romanian Basketball Federation (FR Baschet).
