2016 edition of NBA 3X Philippines crowns champions

NBA 3X Philippines

Three-on-three basketball gained public consciousness once again with the successful staging of the 2016 edition of NBA 3X Philippines presented by Panasonic at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, as well as the PICC during this past weekend.

The competition was highlighted by the successful title defense of EGS Elite in the Men's Open division. Led by former collegiate standouts Rocky Acidre and Ian Garrido, the now four-time champions defeated Ako Two Team, 13-8 in the final. Earlier in the afternoon, they handily dispatched Sto. Nino Wildcats, 21-8.

According to Garrido, “We have been looking forward to this tournament all year and have kept ourselves active ever since to play well on this stage. NBA 3X has inspired us to work harder on improving our skills and chemistry for future competitions.”

Completing the quartet is Rocky's brother Rutger and Mark Anthony Dolimon.

A couple of stalwarts in the women's national team basketball setup claimed championships in their respective divisions.

NU-A, composed of UAAP MVP Afril Bernardino, Jack Aminam, Gemma Miranda, and Ria Nabalan, secured the Women's Open title with a 10-5 win over Admirals.

Kristine Cayabyab, the Nike Rise PH alumna and part of the team that represented the Philippines in the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships, led Balon Dagupan-A to the Women's U16 title with a walkover win over Team Caloocan.

BRODIAC, which includes second-generation basketball star Kenjie Duremdes and youth standout Rhayyan Amsali, claimed the Boys U18 division with a 9-6 win over Ink for Less.

Claiming the titles in the other divisions are Keanzel Trading for the Boys U13 (6-4 win over Team Caloocan) and Jacob Liit for the Boys U16 (14-8 win over HIMC5).

As for the Celebrity Division, Team Pokemen, behind Bobby Yan, Kaya FC's Aly Borromeo, Jun Macasaet and 3X Slam Dunk champion David Carlos ended the reign of Team Alcaraz in the division. They beat Team Cloudfone, composed of Jinno Rufino, Vince Hizon, Dominic Uy, and Fabio Ide, in the final in OT, 14-12. Carlos, who forced the extra session with a split at the charity stripe at the buzzer, ended the game with an and-1 and made the bonus free throw for the title.

Other notable particpants in the Celebrity Division include Alvin Patrimonio, Christian Luanzon, and Derrick Hubalde, Marco Benitez, TJ Manotoc, Mark Zambrano, Nikko Ramos, and Rio dela Cruz.

In the other events, Zamboanga's Jerome Hamac won the Panasonic Three-Point Shootout, Bulacan's Gabriel Aveno won the Sprite Diskarte Like A King Challenge, and Caloocan's Axl Tolentino claimed the Panasonic Shooting Stars title.

Gracing this year's edition of NBA 3X Philippines are Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams, as well as Wolves Dancers and LA Clippers mascot Chuck the Condor. Michael helped teach the sport to the young athletes from the Special Olympics in a basketball clinic as part of NBA Cares, while the Wolves Dancers and Chuck entertained the crowd with their dance numbers and signature moves.

NBA 3X Philippines presented by Panasonic was made possible with the help of official partners CloudFone, Globe Telecom, Touch Mobile, and Sprite, with supporting partners SM Mall of Asia and Spalding. ABS-CBN Sports and Action, Basketball TV, and NBA Premium TV served as official NBA broadcasters.