Basketball
How streetball competition found it’s way to the courts of Africa
The NBA has taken the world by storm as it becomes America’s most loved sporting export. But basketball’s foundations are grounded in the grit and grind of streetball...
While streetball is not new to Africa’s courts, the introduction of tournaments has finally given it the platform it deserves.
The Steph Curry threes, the LeBron James dunks and the Kyrie Irving ankle breakers have caught the attention of many and dazzled fans across the world. But before the bright lights of the league, these athletes, like many aspiring ballers, were honing their skills in the outdoor battleground that is streetball.
Unlike organized basketball, street ball is a less structured but a faster paced game played on the half court. With an emphasis on individual skill sets, streetball is the home of fancy footwork, killer crossovers and acrobatic alley oops.
Streetball entered the mainstream in the early 2000’s with the rise of Hall of Fame basketball player Allen Iverson. His fearless and impulsive style of play was reminiscent of the raw nature of streetball. Plus, his braggadocio and personae on the court added an element of toughness to the league.
The former MVP and Philadelphia Sixers legend also rocked trendsetting cornrows and clothes, all part of the image associated with streetball. Unconsciously, just by being authentic, he challenged and changed the sanitized and conservative institution that is the NBA.
Iverson’s influence made streetball grow legs as brands like AND1 began to put dollars behind the informal sport. The shoe and apparel company funded the famed AND1 Mixtape Tour where streetball teams in the United States competed against each other. ESPN jumped on board as the main broadcaster for all the showcases with the half hour TV show called Streetball.
By the end of the 2000s, the AND1 tours extended past the borders of the United States. In 2011, they made their way to Africa where they hosted 3x3 tournaments, slam dunk competitions and one-on-one basketball duels where both men and women were able to compete. They travelled through Zimbabwe, Angola, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burundi, Uganda and South Africa. Here in Mzansi, they did a three city tour, touching down in Johannesburg, Durban and Maputo. The success of these tours ushered the way for more streetball tournaments to take place on African soil.
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Soon enough, the International Basketball Federation followed when they formalized streetball and started the FIBA 3x3 World Championships. The first edition took place in Athens, Greece in 2012. About 31 different countries participated in the men’s, women’s and mixed tournaments which featured skills, shoot out and slam dunk contests as well as a free throw pursuit. In the first World Cup, the only African teams that participated were the Egyptian men’s team and the Angolan women’s team. However in the following years, more African countries like Tunisia, Nigeria and Cameroon have had the opportunity to represent.
3 on 3 the ultimate test
© Jonathan Ferreira / Red Bull Content Pool
But no streetball competition is more consistent and frequent on the continent than the Red Bull Tournaments. The first was the King of Rock Tournament which first took place in late 2016 by the Constitutional Hill courts in Johannesburg. A year later, it’s successor, the Red Bull Reign Tournament took over the courts of the Ponte Apartments, an area that has a streetball culture as old as the country’s democracy.
Similar to FIBA, the competition revolves around the 3x3 model. However, Red Bull Reign employs a round robin format where participants face every other contestant at least once. The competition works on a cumulative scoring system and the two teams with the most point totals qualify for the decisive and final round which determines the national championship. The winners get to compete in the World Finals in Washington, D.C for a shot at the ultimate prize.
The gruelling competition tests players’ mental and physical durability in an environment where the spectator’s chants are louder than the music blasting through the stereo while the beautiful and historic Ponte Towers serve as the backdrop. Many have come with their finest sneakers and slickest moves looking to be crowned the best street ballers in the country but only one can emerge as a winner.