After two days, 14 teams, 22 games and almost 600 exhilarating points, it all came down to one: Latvia’s Team Riga were crowned champions of The FIBA 3x3 World Tour Abu Dhabi Masters 2021.
3x3 basketball fans from all over the UAE came to witness the final day of basketball brilliance, as the eight teams (Ub, Princeton, Ulaanbaatar, Riga, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Gagarin and Liman) took to the court on the Abu Dhabi Corniche to compete in the quarter-finals.
The stadium was once again buzzing as Ub, Liman, Riga and Antwerp to reach the semis.
Before the competition reached the final, the crowd was treated to some more world-class entertainment, with acrobatic action from Face Team dunkers and world-champion BMXers. There was also a Dunk Contest that saw audience-favourite ‘Air’ David Carlos walk away with not only the bragging rights, but also $3000.
In the showdown Serbia’s Team Ub and Latvia’s Team Riga — the latter being the current Olympic champions — the tension was at fever pitch, with an impressive five Olympic winning medallists on the court. Riga stormed to victory, hitting the required 21 points before the buzzer sounded. Riga’s Agnis Cavars, evidently exhausted after the battle, took time to enjoy the win, saying: “It was so great to have this squad back together. We had to work hard to get here as we’ve had several injuries, but today’s win feels great. The atmosphere here in Abu Dhabi has been so, so good. It’s like being at home so thanks to everyone who came out to watch us.”
Riga’s Karlis Lasmanis was also awarded the tournament’s MVP, on the 10th anniversary of Fiba 3x3. As the Fiba 3x3 World Tour Abu Dhabi 2021 edition concludes, the teams will go head-to-head once again in Mexico next week, ahead of a final showdown in Jeddah in December.
