Korean and Japanese 3×3 basketball teams will compete for spots in international tournaments. With players from Dongguk University and former Japanese 3×3 national team members participating, a fierce Korea-Japan match is expected at the KXO Hapcheon stop.
KXO (Korea 3×3 Basketball Federation) will hold the ‘NH Nonghyup Bank 2026 KXO 3×3 Hapcheon STOP’ on the special court at Hapcheon Multipurpose Gymnasium in Gyeongnam on the 10th and 11th. This tournament will be held in four divisions: U15, U18, men’s open and KXO STOP.
KXO (Chairman Park Geon-yeon) and the Hapcheon County Basketball Association (Chairman Kim Tae-su) are hosting, and Hapcheon County (county chief Kim Yun-cheol) and the Hapcheon County Sports Council (Chairman Yu Dal-hyung) are sponsoring. The event was originally scheduled to be held at the special court at Hapcheon Daejonggak, but was moved to Hapcheon Multipurpose Gymnasium due to a weekend rain forecast.
Hapcheon County, which is hosting a KXO STOP for the first time this year, is a region known for Haeinsa, which houses the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks and Janggyeongpanjeon, a UNESCO world heritage site, and Gayasan, which boasts outstanding natural scenery. The tournament is expected to be held alongside the 4th Hapcheon Hwangto Hanwoo Festival, which begins on the 9th, creating an event that blends sports and a local festival.
The centerpiece of the tournament is the KXO STOP, which will decide the berth for the ‘FIBA 3×3 Challenger 2027.’ Four teams are expected to participate: Hongcheon and Dongguk University from Korea and Sagamihara and Drive Stage from Japan. As teams representing Korea and Japan face off, it is drawing attention as a “mini Korea-Japan match.”
From Japan, Sagamihara, centered on national team player Igo Kenya, will participate. Drive Stage, appearing on the KXO STOP stage for the first time this time, is also expected to showcase Japan’s characteristically organized 3×3 basketball.
The challenges from the Korean teams are formidable as well. Hongcheon, which showed impressive performance at the FIBA 3×3 Hongcheon Challenger 2026, will challenge for the title led by Adrian Clayborn Jr. and David Reimer. Dongguk University, composed of Park Gee-won, Noh Seong-hyun, Yoon Joo-hyuk and Lee Jong-wook, will also look for an upset.
Despite being held in Hapcheon, which is a distance from the metropolitan area, interest remains high, with more than 50 teams on the waiting list to participate. The tournament begins at 9 a.m. on the 10th.
Preliminary matches of the tournament will be streamed live on YouTube. The KXO STOP semifinals and final, and the U18 final, will be broadcast on KBS N Sports as recorded coverage.
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