Players to watch at FIBA 3x3 World Tour Lausanne Masters

LAUSANNE (Switzerland) - On August 20-21, five of the top 6 teams in the world and Olympic medalists of every metal are heading to Lausanne, one of the yearly highlights on the FIBA 3x3 World Tour.

This will mark the 8th edition of the Lausanne Masters, taking place at the Place Centrale in the heart of the Olympic capital. We'll be back with the Dunk and Shoot-Out contests and we're looking forward to seeing 8 of our 12 Tokyo Olympic Games medalists in attendance.

Here are the top performers to watch in Lausanne:

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Karlis Lasmanis
Welcome back to the show. This is the first big event since Lasmanis sank the game-winning two-pointer to earn the gold medal for Latvia in Tokyo. After a slow start in Doha earlier this year, he’s looking to get Riga back on track as they look to defend their World Tour 2020 title. 

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Nauris Miezis
The former number one player in the world is also riding high after his gold medal at the 2020 Olympics. The World Tour 2020 MVP is ready to tag team with his partner in crime, Karlis Lasmanis, and earn their first masters win of the year. 

 

Stefan Stojacic 
In his first Liman action since 2020, Stojacic was stellar during the ING Hamburg Challenger 2021, leading the team to a second-place finish. After missing the Doha Masters, the man they call  'Mr. Robot' is back to lead Liman, looking to return to 2020 form. He could be the missing piece that they needed to get their World Tour season moving. 

Disco Domo Jones 
Lausanne might just be what the doctor ordered for Disco Domo. The Lausanne Masters 2019 MVP, Jones led NY Harlem to a first-place finish as part of his regular-season MVP campaign. NY Harlem is stacked in this tournament, welcoming back Kidani Brutus to the fold. We'll be keeping our eyes on the top of the key assist and highlights categories because we're expecting to see a lot of Domo.

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Miroslav Pašajlić
This man burst onto the scene in 2020, knocking down Tissot-Buzzer Beaters and quickly establishing himself as a bonafide 3x3 sniper. Ub is headlined by Dejan Majstorovic, Strahinja Stojacic, and Marko Brankovic but there is nobody you want with the ball in their hands at the end of the game more than Pasajlic. Look out for this team if he ends up leading them in scoring.

 

Kareem Maddox
It's the first action back for Maddox since the Olympic Qualifying Tournament . As a unit, Princeton is on fire, having won the Cergy-Pontoise Challenger last month. Maddox will once again play an active role around the basket. Whether it's blocking shots or throwing down dunks, you'll find him making plays you know are going to end up on the gram.

 

Tamás Ivosev
The famed Nov Sad (SRB) team is coming into this event with Ivosev needing to go from a supporting role to a star player. We've seen this man dominate the boards and back down defenders at will over the years. As a matter of fact, the man won MVP in Lausanne back in 2018. While Novi Sad are missing the star power of old, Ivosev offers them a blast from the past. The number 8 ranked player in the world will lead the Serbians in the pool stage vs. NY Harlem and a qualifying team, putting them in a good position to earn a spot in the bracket. 

 

Westher Molteni
This man is the muscle and the hustle. Call him Westherminator. Wes Molteni is once again leading hometown team, Lausanne into the World Tour, as they continue to search for their first master's title. He's coming in hot, winner of the 3x3 Swiss Tour 2021 Final, and he'll have to bring his top game to get past Graz and Riga in Pool B.

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Thibaut Vervoort
There aren't many players who have been better in 2021 than Thibaut Vervoot. In addition to taking Belgium to the bronze medal game at Tokyo 2020, but he's led Antwerp (BEL) to two Challenger wins at Lipik and Poitiers. He's become one the most dangerous players on the World Tour with the ball in his hands and after missing out on Doha 2021, Antwerp is looking to show they belong with the best teams at the highest level. 

 

Ilia Karpenkov
Is it just us or Karpenkov was the best big at the Tokyo Olympics? The 24-year-old was impressive in Japan, finishing 3rd overall in rebounds, 5th in player value, and leading the Russian Olympic Committee to an impressive silver medal. He's got big strong hands like a carpenter and like John, his reel is a horror movie. Guard him at your own risk, he will throw you in the torture chamber.

Filip Krämer
Without Moritz Lanegger on the roster, we're expecting Krämer to take on an even bigger role for Graz at the Lausanne Masters. Those who watched the Doha Masters earlier this year will remember Krämer was finishing up alleys and showing Chris Brown footwork when the Austrians went 4-0 on Day one. The day after, Riga (LAT) was ending their dreams in the quarter-finals. Well, guess what? Graz get to avenge this loss as soon as the pool stage in the Lausanne Masters. And if they do, we bet Krämer will be a big reason why.

 

Alexandr Pavlov
This man is a FIBA 3x3 World Tour OG. The Russian big man has been playing on and off on the game's biggest stage since 2012 and returns with Moscow Inanomo (RUS) in 2021. He will go through the qualifying draw, where the winner earns a spot in Pool C. It's been five years since his last World Tour win and he's primed to help Moscow get back into the pool stage and show what he can do in the bracket. 

Gilberto Clavell
We just love the way this man plays the game. He's tough, energetic, and attacks the rim like an all-you-can-eat buffet. 2021 has already been a good year for San Juan (PUR), earning their spot in this competition by finishing as runners-up at the Lipik Challenger 2021. With Clavell, you have a known winner and a player who's going to give you everything he's got. 

 

Mido Mohamed
The number one Egyptian 3x3 player in the world is coming to the World Tour. After leading Egypt to Gold Medal at the FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup 2019 and being selected MVP, we're hyped to see what Mido can do against the world's best. Team Alexandria is going to need to qualify, but you better be sure to tune in from the first tip, because the man's got game.

 

Kevin Yebo
Yebo makes his World Tour debut with Aachen Der Stamm (GER) the lowest seed coming into the tournament, needing to still earn their spot through the qualifying tournament. He most recently led Aachen to first place at the ING 3x3 German Championship 2021 and played at the ING Hamburg Challenger 2021 alongside several of the teams in the competition this weekend. If you've seen any of his clips on social media, you know he's not an under-the-rim guy. We're officially excited.

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