MANAMA. Strahinja Stojacic has been named MVP of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour 2025 regular season. The number 1 player in the world earned the award after a season where he led Ub to titles in Marseille, Edmonton and Shenzhen, and added wins in Vienna and Hong Kong.

The MVP was decided by fans and players. Stojacic averaged 6.3 points per game, the fifth best mark on the World Tour for players with at least 20 games, and finished as the second top scorer of the season with 307 points.

He topped the player vote with 16%, tied with Skyliners’ Leon Fertig. Henry Caruso finished third with 14%. Stojacic also led the fan vote with 26%, ahead of Paris standout and World Tour Amsterdam winner Paul Djoko on 17%, and Raudondvaris Hoptrans forward Evaldas Dziaugys on 16%.

This is the third time Stojacic wins the World Tour Season MVP after previous honors in 2022 and 2023. The list of past winners includes Dusan Bulut in 2018, Dominique Jones in 2019, Nauris Miezis in 2020, Karlis Lasmanis in 2021, Worthy de Jong in 2024 and Stojacic in 2022, 2023 and 2025.

ANTWERP (Belgium) — Serbia have seen almost everything European 3×3 basketball can throw at them. On Day 2 in Antwerp at the FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup Crelan 2026, they were reminded once again that nothing comes easily. The top seeds handled Switzerland and hosts Belgium to move into the knockout rounds unbeaten, with Strahinja Stojacic pointing to a simple foundation behind their success: defend, stay together and raise the level with every game.

The clash with Belgium was particularly demanding. Serbia knew the hosts well from years of FIBA 3×3 World Tour battles, while the Antwerp crowd gave Dennis Donkor and his teammates an extra edge.

“We know Belgium very well because we’ve faced them many times on the World Tour, and they’re an outstanding team,” Stojacic said. “Playing on home soil with that kind of crowd support makes them even more dangerous.”

Serbia responded by taking away Belgium’s biggest weapon. With three dangerous shooters on the opposing side, Stojacic and company made perimeter defense a priority, refusing to give Belgium the clean looks that could change the game in an instant.

“We wanted to limit their opportunities from beyond the arc because that is one of their biggest strengths,” he explained.

The result was another composed Serbia performance and another reminder of why they entered Antwerp as the No.1 seed.

Yet Stojacic believes the biggest challenge may not be any individual opponent. It is the overall quality of the tournament.

“In my opinion, this is the strongest level of competition the 3×3 that Europe Cup has ever seen,” he said.

And the numbers behind the draw make his point. Every team in Antwerp arrived among Europe’s elite, while Serbia’s own pool featured Switzerland, the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2025 runners-up, and hosts Belgium. The growth of the discipline has changed the equation, too.

“More players and more countries are investing in 3×3 basketball, and that’s raising the level of competition year after year,” Stojacic said.

That leaves Serbia with little room for complacency. Their reward for finishing top of Pool A is a Quarter-Final matchup against Lithuania, the defending Europe Cup champions. It is another heavyweight matchup in a tournament already packed with them.

For Stojacic, the solution is not complicated.

“Every time Serbia comes to the Europe Cup, the objective is to compete for medals,” he said.

The path now runs through Lithuania. Serbia have only a short turnaround before Sunday’s Quarter-Final, but Stojacic is already looking forward.

“We have 20 hours to recover, rest and prepare properly,” he said. “We’ll use that time to make sure we’re ready to deliver our best performance tomorrow.”

At a FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup that has reached an unprecedented level, ‘Doctor Strange’ and Serbia know that may be exactly what it takes.

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Follow all the latest action from the FIBA 3×3 Cups tournaments throughout the 2026 season by visiting the official FIBA 3×3 website, where you can find the latest news, star players and everything you need to know. Fans can also keep track of the Event Calendar and the latest FIBA 3×3 Individual and Federation Rankings as teams and players continue their push toward the season finale.

Want to learn more about 3×3 basketball? Explore the official FIBA 3×3 Rules to understand the unique fast-paced format of the game, or discover the FIBA 3×3 Competition Structure to see how the discipline’s global pathway connects grassroots events, professional tours and world-class international competitions.

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The night in Vienna

For all the recent near-misses, few players in the men’s game can match Stojačić’s record: World Cup MVP and Europe Cup MVP in 2023, two World Cup titles, two Europe Cup gold medals, three World Tour MVP awards in 2022, 2023 and 2025, and a place in the World Cup Team of the Tournament at each of the last three editions.

He does not make much of the individual honours.

“It is not about which [person] is first,” he said of the rankings. “We want our team to be the best team in the world, and that’s it, just focus on the team, and to play every time better and better.”

With that said, there is one memory for the 34-year-old that stands out above the rest: Vienna, 2023.

Serbia beat the USA 21-19 in the World Cup final to retain their title, despite Jimmer Fredette scoring 10 points for the beaten finalists.

“The second gold in the World Cup, in Vienna, 2023,” he said. “This is the tournament where we really played very well, and I played maybe the best game of my life. The crowd was amazing, we had so many fans. We had so much luck in the end, but we won this game and we won the gold.”

MANAMA (Bahrain) – World Number One Strahinja Stojacic was his dominant self, leading Ub to a historic Finals Win and taking home MVP plaudits at the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Manama Final on November 22. 

It was the Dr. Strange show in Manama who was unstoppable all tournament. His team-high 36 points and tournament-high player value score of 46.8 showcases his impact on their historic win in Manama. He would take home MVP honors in addition to his regular season MVP award, a dream season in the pro circuit for Strahinja Stojacic.

MARSEILLE (France) – Strahinja Stojacic of Ub (SRB) once again proved why he is considered the best player in the world, earning Most Valuable Player honors at the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Marseille 2026 on July 5 after leading his team in defending their title.

The Serbian superstar was the driving force behind Ub’s championship run as they defeated Raudondvaris Hoptrans (LTU) 21-16 in the Final to claim their second FIBA 3×3 World Tour crown of the season.

After a rare setback in WT Ulaanbaatar last weekend and an upset loss to Barcelona (ESP) on Day 1 in Marseille, Stojacic responded in emphatic fashion, helping Ub re-establish themselves among the Pro Circuit’s elite.

His defining moment came in the Semi-Finals against Fuengirola (ESP), when he erupted for 14 points, including his team’s first 11, to propel Ub into the championship game.

Throughout the tournament, ‘Doctor Strange’ dominated every major statistical category, finishing with a tournament-best 64.8 player value, 37 total points, 38 highlights and 15 key assists.

Even though he was held to just one point in the Final, Stojacic’s all-around brilliance across the weekend had already left an indelible mark on the competition.

His heroics earned him the MVP trophy and added another chapter to an already remarkable FIBA 3×3 World Tour career, as the world’s No.1 player once again guided Ub to the top of the podium.

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