The first edition of the Raiffeisen Bank eSport Arena Streetball 3 × 3 online basketball championship ended with the grand final which took place on December 28th and 29th. The undisputed champions are Răzvan Popa in the PlayStation category and Daniel Bratu in the Xbox category. The two were awarded with a Next-Gen console, PS5 and Xbox X, respectively, offered by Raiffiesen Bank.
Over 180 players dueled in this unique competition in Europe, which began in August. Four regular tournaments were played, and the first 16 players ranked in each category qualified for the grand final on December 28 and 29.
In a season when classic streetball competitions have been compromised due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sport Arena Streetball, with the help of the traditional partners of 3 × 3 basketball tournaments have managed to keep the basketball community united and offer an online alternative to keep the spirit of competition intact.
In the Xbox category, Daniel Bratu aka IamNotDanny was the cinderella story of the event. The number 12 seed at the start, Daniel took the event by storm and in his way to the supreme title he defeated the main favorite, Vlad Nistor, in the semifinals and then the number 3 seed, Ionuț Sescu aka PrajitorulOz, in the grand final.
The events at the PlayStation category were not that unexpected, where Răzvan Popa, one of the youngest competitors, aged 14, won, after starting the tournament with the third chance. Răzvan, aka xMonst3rRO, holds the record for the most matches played in the championship, with 20, tied with Taviann_ and is no stranger to the victory taste, winning one of the four preliminary tournaments.
Both champions completed their prizes with a Tissot 3 × 3 watch, offered by Albini Prassa and with a pair of Nike PG4, offered by Dunk Shop Romania.
The livestream broadcasts of the Raiffeisen Bank eSport Arena Streetball championship gathered over 200,000 views on all platforms, and those who watched the matches were able to participate in various fan contests. The grand prize for the fans was won in the final day of the championship event by Robert Pătraru, from Ploiești, who added a PS5 console to his belongings, offered by Raiffeisen Bank.
Another milestone for a sporting event in Romania, was that the finals were broadcasted live on Instagram.
The Raiffeisen Bank eSport Arena Streetball 3 × 3 online basketball championship was sponsored during the first season by Mastercard, Tissot, Nike, Aqirys, Marvo, Grid, Azuga, Glovo, Dunk Shop Romania, 2K Sports. The official radio of the competition was Kiss FM.
