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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AICHI-NAGOYA (Japan) – The 3×3 basketball tournaments at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 delivered historic firsts and strong performances, with Republic of Korea claiming their maiden men’s gold medal and hosts Japan taking the women’s title on September 25 at the Kinjō-futō Station Square.

The competition highlighted the continued growth of 3×3 basketball across the region, with experienced teams joined by emerging contenders and new faces making their mark on the Asian Games stage.

Republic of Korea win men’s gold

Republic of Korea secured their first-ever Asian Games gold medal in 3×3 basketball, completing an unbeaten run with a 6-0 record.

Running with the exact same roster that finished runners-up at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2026, Republic of Korea maintained their composure throughout the tournament before meeting Qatar in the gold medal game.

Qatar had reached the Final after overcoming Mongolia and Iran in the knockout stage, setting up a meeting between two teams that had impressed throughout the competition.

Republic of Korea controlled the Final from the outset, combining defensive intensity with efficient execution to claim a 19-10 victory and secure the gold medal.

Iran completed the men’s podium with the bronze medal, with Seyedmohammad Ghaftari, Sarem Jafari, Mohammadbasir Momeni and Mohammadmahdi Rahimi representing the third-placed team.

Men’s medalists

The result marked a first Asian Games 3×3 basketball title for Republic of Korea and capped an unbeaten tournament campaign.

Japan claim women’s gold

Hosts Japan delivered in front of the home crowd, defeating the Philippines 21-11 in the women’s gold medal game to claim the Asian Games title.

Japan’s attack was led by Yuki Hirashita, who scored nine points in the Final, and Sakura Horiuchi, who added eight, as the hosts maintained control throughout the gold medal game.

The Philippines women nevertheless secured a historic first-ever Asian Games 3×3 basketball silver medal.

Gilas Pilipinas Women was represented by Amyah Espanol, Kennan Ka, Maria Pasilang and FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2026 player Kacey Dela Rosa. They opened their campaign by sweeping Group C before defeating Singapore in the Quarter-Finals.

They then advanced to the Final with a 13-8 victory over Thailand in the Semi-Finals, before Japan ended their run in the gold medal game.

Republic of Korea completed the women’s podium, with Choi Ye-seul, Heo Yoo-jung, Kim Jeong-eun and Song Yun-ha taking bronze.

Women’s medalists

For Japan, the victory added a home-soil highlight to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026. For the Philippines, the silver medal marked a significant move forward on the Asian Games 3×3 stage.

FIBA

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