Liman and Riga lead Perm Bionord International 3x3 Quest 2021 field

PERM (Russia) - It’s been a minute since we’ve had the best 3x3 players in the world return to the court, but this week in Russia, we welcome back the game’s best for a test ahead of the Abu Dhabi Masters.

Let’s take a closer look at the teams in attendance and whom we believe are the top contenders.

Pools

Pool A: Riga, Moscow, Qualifier #1
Pool B: Liman, Runa, Samara
Pool C: Amsterdam, Bielefeld, Stella DG
Pool D: Sakiai, Graz, Bionord
Qualifying Draw: Dusseldorf, Tel-Aviv, Baikal

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RUS 3x3 (@rus3x3)

 

The Favorites
We won’t be seeing powerhouse Ub, but 4 of the top 6 teams in the world ranking will be heading to Russia for this battle.

Riga, the number two team in the world and defending World Tour champions return, are down one superhero. Nauris Miezis won't be in attendance, but the Latvian crew welcomes back Edgars Krumins, the heart of this Riga team, making his return from injury.

Liman are also back and bringing a strong team to this Quest event, led by Mihailo Vasic and Aleksandar Ratkov, bronze medalists at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and bruisers down low. Throw in sharpshooter Stefan Kojic, and Liman have everything they need to go deep in the tournament.

The team that comes in fully loaded is Amsterdam. Julian Jaring, Maksim Kovacevic, Arvin Slagter and Dimeo “Dimes” van der Horst are all in the top 15 of the individual rankings and leading Pool C. We would be crazy to bet against them. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RUS 3x3 (@rus3x3)

 
Rounding out the favorites are Sakiai, the Lithuanian giants that will once again be led by their top scorer, Aurelijus Pukelis. Paulius Beliavicius, Darius Tarvydas, and Marijus Uzupis round out the squad for a team that currently ranks 7th in the World Tour standings and would love a spot in the Mexico City Masters.

The Field

The best of the rest include Graz, current 6th in the World Tour standings, and always a difficult team. Filip Krämer is used to throwing down hammers like Thor and when he’s on the floor, there’s nobody tougher.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RUS 3x3 (@rus3x3)

 
The rest of the field includes Tel-Aviv, which will need to qualify before entering the main draw, and German teams Dusseldorf LFDY and Bielefeld TSVE.

There will also be a big Russian delegation playing in their home country. Runa, Samara, Moscow Inanomo, Stella DG, Baikal, and Bionord are all hoping to represent their country well with their hometown fans in attendance. It’s shaping up to be another incredible two-day 3x3 event.

What’s at stake

The top three teams will earn an entry into the Mexico City Masters with the winner going to the Main Draw and 2nd and 3rd place earning a spot in the qualifying draw.

How to Watch

The action starts on October 20th and you can follow it live on the FIBA 3x3 YouTube and Facebook pages.

FIBA