The Emirati city’s latest addition to calendar will bring the world’s best 3×3 basketball teams during the final stretch of the season. The event will have ranking points and prize money in the line. Fans in Dubai will witness World Champions, European Champions and Olympians on court, alongside the world’s top ranked teams.

New Delhi [India], August 18 (ANI): Tero India Managing Director and CEO Chandrakant Singh said the company’s focus on developing 3×3 basketball from the grassroots level can contribute to India’s broader sporting and 2036 Olympic ambitions by creating a structured pathway for players to compete at international levels.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the launch of 3×3 Quest India 2026 on Tuesday, Singh said grassroots development requires sustained effort and the company aims to identify and develop talent while providing players with opportunities to compete against international-level athletes.
“The word you said, ‘grassroots’, it’s a very effort-oriented thing. It takes a lot of time to build and to do this, and that’s why very few people come into this. People like the finished product. So we are developing it from the grassroots level and to define it as a champions’ league, to get people to compete internationally,” Singh said.
He said Tero also plans to bring experienced trainers and expose Indian players to high-level competition to improve their skills and performance.
“We also need to bring good trainers from outside. So with a lot of effort, we are developing grassroots. And over a period of time, you’ll see its impact,” he added.
Chandrakant said Tero plans to introduce different formats of FIBA 3×3 in India over time, including Quest, Light Quest, Challenger and World Series, creating more opportunities for Indian players to compete against top international athletes.
“There are different versions of 3×3 which are played worldwide. One is called Quest, there’s Light Quest, there’s Challenger, there’s World Series. And we’re going to bring all of the formats over a period of time,” he said.
He said the format would allow Indian players to compete against world champions without having to wait for major international events such as the Olympics.
“It’s most fun when you play against world champions, and you can get that opportunity very rarely, but this format provides you that provision that you don’t have to wait to play in the Olympics. You can play with players like those anytime throughout the year,” Singh said.
He added that Tero intends to bring the various 3×3 formats to India under FIBA’s framework.
“So Light Quest, Quest, Challenger, Champions, World Series, we will bring everything to India under FIBA’s banner,” he said.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of developing sports and India’s plans to bid for the 2036 Olympic Games, Chandrakant said Tero sees 3×3 as a sport where India can potentially compete for Olympic medals in the future.
“We realized that his (PM Modi) vision, we take one part. We can’t do everything, and he also can’t do everything, right? So we all have to play our part,” Singh said.
“We feel we have a very good opportunity here in which we can win medals. If not today, then tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we can win. And that’s why we’ve started working on his vision in this sport,” he added.
Chandrakant said India should focus on winning medals across multiple sports rather than relying on a few disciplines.
“How many medals can you win in one sport? Very few. But if you win one medal in many sports, you can win many medals. So that’s the intention,” he said.
He added that 3×3 has the potential to help India participate and compete successfully at the Olympics.
“We took this sport because it has the potential that we can go to Olympics, win in Olympics. Participation will be the first right. It’s our right; we should play in the Olympics,” Singh said.
On Tero’s partnership with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), Singh said the collaboration was crucial for developing the sport within the country’s recognised sporting framework.
“Very, very important. See, in any country you are bringing any new structure, any new sport, you have to work within those recognized authorities and their framework,” he said.
He said BFI’s experience, rules and guidance would help Tero develop 3×3 basketball in India in the right manner.
“Our partnership with them is that they will be our mentors. They will guide us where to go and how to do it and what can be done well and how to do it correctly. So that’s their guidance,” Singh said.
Tero Entertainment on Tuesday launched 3×3 Quest India 2026, backed by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and endorsed by FIBA. The event is scheduled to be held on September 12 and 13 at DLF Promenade – Emporio in New Delhi.
Unlike traditional five-on-five basketball, 3×3 is played on a half-court with a 12-second shot clock. Games last 10 minutes or end when a team reaches 21 points, making it a fast-paced format suited to live entertainment and younger audiences.
The 3×3 Quest India 2026 will feature teams competing in a knockout format, with the winning team earning an opportunity to compete at the FIBA 3×3 World Series in Mongolia and gain official FIBA ranking points.
3×3 Quest India 2026 marks the first step in Tero’s longer-term vision for the sport in India. Beginning in Delhi, the ambition is to expand participation, create more high-level competitive opportunities and build a platform that connects Indian players and teams with the wider global 3×3 ecosystem, according to a release.
The goal is not simply to stage a successful first event but to help establish India as an important part of the future of 3×3.
3×3 Quest India 2026 will see multiple teams compete over two days, with matches run in a knockout format building to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final. (ANI)

This is the third part of an ongoing summer basketball series, with a spotlight on the UCLA men’s basketball program. The first two portions of the summer series (Part 1 and Part 2) highlighted UCLA’s roster construction this spring, and recent senior Tyler Bilodeau being drafted by the Brooklyn Nets. Stay tuned to uclabruins.com this summer for additional chapters about the Bruins.

Veteran Voice

Few Bruins can match Dailey Jr.’s experience. The 6-foot-8 forward from Palmetto, Fla., has played in 100 college games across three seasons, including 68 at UCLA. He averaged 11.6 points and a team-high 5.8 rebounds last season but wants to take on more of a leadership role.

Dailey Jr. acknowledges with a grin that his two years in Westwood have made him a familiar face with Bruin fans. He relishes that. He’s grateful for the synergy with fans in Pauley Pavilion.

“I feel like the fans have an idea of who I am, that they’re familiar with my name, my face,” Dailey Jr. said. “And I hope that this year they will get to know who I am, really from a leadership standpoint. I want to be a good example for people. Yeah, I’m really excited to be back for my senior year and hopefully to put that 12th banner up. That has always been my goal since I’ve been here.”

Earlier this summer, the well-traveled Dailey Jr. had the opportunity to add another continent to his passport. His youth basketball travels have already taken him to Europe and Asia, but playing for USA Basketball’s 3×3 team in Santiago, Chile, provided him a trip to South America. The 3×3 tournament ran from June 27 until July 3, hosted in the capital city of Chile, home to more than six million people.

Dailey Jr. and five other collegiate players on the men’s side competed for Team USA’s 3×3 Nations League squad. The tournament format included six “stops” with each one featuring three consecutive matches. The U.S. team participated in the Americas tournament, alongside Canada, Puerto Rico, Chile, Argentina and the Cayman Islands. Dailey competed in 12 of his team’s 18 matches, averaging 6.8 points per contest in a scoring format that includes one-point and two-point field goals.

The scoring and the half court aren’t the only variations from traditional five-on-five hoops.

The shot clock runs for just 12 seconds. Games last for 10 minutes, or the first team to score 21 points, and personal fouls simply get logged as team fouls.

“With the three-on-three game, you’re seeing more actions and off-ball actions,” Dailey Jr. said. “Obviously, you have two fewer defenders out there. On defense, it’s more one-on-one with talking and switching. The reads are quicker because you only have three people on a team. So in pick-and-roll, the reads might be a bit easier in a way, because you do not have that second and third line of defense back there. With two fewer people out there, it’s a lot of actions that you are running – curls, fade screens, slips, so if you know those things, it’s going to help you a lot.”

The USA men’s 3×3 team registered an undefeated record and qualified for the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup, scheduled for mid-September in Wuhan, China. In the final “stop” for the USA men, Dailey Jr. scored 10 points to lead his team past the Cayman Islands, 21-9. Later that day, Dailey Jr. and teammate Pace Prosser (Gannon University, in Pennsylvania) combined for 14 points to help Team USA overpower Canada, 21-16.

For Dailey Jr., continuing his relationship with USA Basketball is important. He has cultivated that connection since he was 15. Among his previous endeavors with USA Basketball have included Team USA’s U19 Men’s World Cup team in Hungary (summer of 2023), playing for the 2023 USA Men’s Nike Hoop Summit Team and winning a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas in Mexico and the 2021 3×3 U18 World Cup in Hungary.

“I feel like that’s just the pinnacle of basketball, when it comes to 5-on-5 or 3-on-3,” Dailey Jr. said. “I mean, you are playing for your country. Having that reputation behind you, that will help you and be with you throughout your life. They’ve helped me so much in my basketball career, and I just want to give it back by playing well for my country.”

Dailey Jr. could continue his summer tour with USA Basketball in mid-September, should he play for the USA 3×3 men’s team at the U23 World Cup in China.

But back in the gym at the Bruins’ Mo Ostin Basketball Center, Dailey Jr. acknowledges that his upcoming college season is stocked with potential. Dailey Jr. and his coaches view him as a go-to leader on next season’s team, and he is eager for the challenge and the fast-approaching opportunity.

“I’ve learned from a lot of the guys who have come before me,” Dailey Jr. said. “What to do and how to represent yourself, even the alumni and talking to guys like Russell Westbrook and Baron Davis – they have helped me understand what the expectations are here.”

Bruins’ associate head coach Darren Savino, who joined UCLA’s program in the spring of 2019 when Mick Cronin became the head coach, appreciates many of Dailey Jr.’s attributes. From his work ethic to his familiarity with UCLA to his disarming smile, Savino recognizes the importance of retaining Dailey Jr.

“Eric just knows the ins and outs of how to practice, how to act every day,” Savino said. “How do you carry yourself? He has developed a great work ethic. All of that can rub off on every else. If you’re a younger player and you see him in the gym constantly, the new guys are thinking, ‘Well I need to be in the gym since I’m new and this vet is around our gym all the time.’ He really helps to set the tone, as far as the DNA in our program.”

* * * *

Stay tuned for upcoming chapters of the Bruins’ summer series, including thoughts from junior guard Trent Perry and a quick introduction of UCLA’s incoming basketball players (both freshmen and transfer students).