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Summertime Basketball is truly where it's at when it comes to hoops here in the UK. The community has held the sport up purely on it's love for the game and that love has manifested itself into some of the most-exciting basketball events that you may come across.
This summer, there are plenty of events to look out for, almost too many to count. So, we've decided to give you 3 of what we believe to be the staple events of Summertime Basketball in the UK.
The Hoopsfix Classic is back for another year and is highly regarded as the ultimate showcase for British Basketball's upcoming talent and culture. Some of the best U19 men and women in the country will compete against each other in a competitive All-Star style game, with also a 3-point contest and a dunk contest. You can also expect to see some of the most popular faces from the UK's urban culture, with Harry Pinero hosting the show last year and the likes of NNESAGA attending this year. This year's event will be in the Crystal Palace National Sports centre and is the first big UK basketball event of the summer, set to take place tomorrow from 12PM.
2. THE GG3X3
The George Goldstone Charity Basketball tournament, more commonly known as the GG3X3 tournament has become one of the most popular 3x3 events in the UK. Founded by Martin Dyan in 2017, GG3X3 has become the UK's largest non-profit basketball platform designed to make basketball accessible to all and over the years, has continued to be more and more competitive hosting professional level and semi-professional level players, whilst also providing a great day of fun and entertainment for basketball lovers of all ages and playing abilities. Sunday the 6th of August will be the date for the event and it will all go down at the newly renovated Blue Cages Basketball Courts in Deptford, South London.
3. BALLOUT 3X3
The pinnacle of British Basketball Summertime. Ballout is not only a place for basketball fans to go for a great day of entertainment coming from live performances from some of the UK's top artists, but also the highest level of 3X3 competition the UK has to offer. Players come from across the nation to compete against each other during the Ballout qualifiers in 9 different categories to give themselves a chance of competing in front of hundreds of people during the finals in Finsbury Park, North London. This year, the qualifiers will take place in London (22nd/23rd of July, Finsbury Park), Birmingham (29th/30th of July, Smithfield), Manchester (5th of August, Writtle University College) and Essex (6th of August, National Basketball Performance Centre) with the finals set for the 12th/13th of August. In the Elite Men's category, the winner will be granted the opportunity to represent the country in the 3X3 FIBA World Tour in an all expenses paid trip with a chance to win a huge cash prize. If we had to pick one event for you to see this summer, BallOut would be the one.
There are plenty more events going on with some not yet to be announced that play a huge role in showcasing all that British Basketball has to offer. Be sure to follow us so that you don't miss out on any of the news in regards to all those events.