Kenya One and Elite basketball teams were crowned the overall winners in the Men’s and Women’s categories in the Red Bull Half Court 3-on-3 tournament that was held at the Nyayo National Stadium.
The event which brought together qualified teams from Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu saw a total of 23 teams participate in the tournament. In the Men’s category, 15 men teams played against each other while 8 teams squared off in the women’s category.
In the Semi-Finals, Kenya One knocked out Kenya Two to book a final tie with Tusks who had earlier on knocked out Vikings in the Semi-Finals. In the Women’s category, Elite knocked out Queens to book a slot in the finals while the Baddies knocked out the Aces to progress to the finals.
The Kenya Basketball Federation Vice-Chairperson Mr. Hilmi Ali who is also the National Co-ordinator of the 3 on 3 Basketball commended Red Bull Kenya’s role in the development of 3 on 3 basketball in the country.
“We have seen players from different places who have benefited from the tournament, we hope to reach even more through such tournaments.”
Mr. Hilmi Ali urged other corporates to tap into the 3-on-3 basketball space to harness more talent in the country.
“The Basketball space in Kenya is growing and I believe it will grow even more with more corporates supporting the sport”
Melissa Akinyi, Captain of the Women’s National Basketball team, and a player of Team Baddies, who were participating in the tournament reiterated the importance of the 3-on-3 basketball on individual players’ skill development.
“As a player, it is important to get individual awards to measure the progress in the game. I am happy that the tournament has challenged me to improve and develop my skills as a player even more”
The overall men’s and women’s teams will be representing Kenya, together with the 2021 champions in the Red Bull Half Court 3 on 3 World Finals that will be held in Cairo, Egypt in September this year.
