During the gala in Lublin, the fans got to know the LOTTO 3X3 team – the first professional team in Europe to play “three-on-three basketball”. The athletes will take part in major international tournaments and compete for medals as members of the national team at the 2024 Olympic Games.
The roots of 3X3 basketball lie in courtyards and playgrounds, where only one basket and six amateurs were enough to fight an exciting duel. The winner was the team that scored more hits within ten minutes or was the first to reach the upper limit of 21 points.
Due to the limited space and time, the game was characterized by dynamism, spectacle and the need for constant improvisation. Over the years, the rules have remained the same, but the status of 3X3 basketball has changed – today it is an Olympic discipline.
“Totalizator Sportowy is the biggest promoter of Polish sports, promoting not only the development of traditional sports but also new ones. For this reason, we couldn’t miss the growing popularity of 3×3 basketball. By entering into a strategic partnership with the Polish Basketball Association and becoming a title partner in a new Olympic sport, we are boosting the development of this sport by keeping our fingers crossed for further success,” said Olgierd Cieślik, CEO of Totalizator Sportowy.
The Polish 3X3 national basketball team has already achieved significant success. The growing potential of our compatriots in this discipline is highlighted by two bronze medals at the European and World Championships, promotion to the Olympic Games, and gold for men and bronze for women under 23 at last year’s Nations League competitions.
“LOTTO 3X3 Team is based on the bronze medal winners of the European Championships Przemysław Zamojski, Piotr Pawlowski, Szymon Rduchu and Łukasz Diduszko. It is a well-established, experienced and ambitious team that has all the predispositions to remain at the top of the world,” explained Piotr Renkiel, coach of the LOTTO 3X3 Team.
“The team will represent Poland in international tournaments of the FIBA 3X3 World Tour Masters and FIBA 3X3 Challenger series, and the players of this team will be able to participate in the European and World Championships as the national team,” he said.
The team was presented at the Lublin Globus Hall shortly before the final game of the Suzuki Cup of the Polish Cup. The LOTTO 3X3 team also played a show match with the Polish national team. A passionate and tough game ended with the victory of LOTTO 21-17.
“Thanks to the commitment of Totalizator Sport, we have finally found a professional team that will participate in the most important tournaments and form the squad of the national team. This is a first but important step towards the success of the Poles at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, which we all dream of,” said Radosław Piesiewicz, Chairman of the Board of the Polish Basketball Association.