NOVI SAD, Serbia -- Four friends shoot hoops on a shady court tucked between housing blocks in northern Serbia, but this is not a casual afternoon get-together -- the men are training for the Olympics.
This summer, 3x3 will make its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games -- and Serbia are the runaway favorites for gold. "While I was growing up, there was a basketball court in every block in my neighborhood," Bulut tells AFP, standing on the court where he played as a child. Before reaching stardom in 3x3, Bulut, now 35, was a struggling point guard whose basketball career included stints in Serbia and North Macedonia."I simply realized that I had attributes which should make me successful, but the opportunity never came."However, Bulut insists the game he once described as the "punk rock" of the basketball world is not a discipline for rejects, but a game that requires players to "think fast and be cheeky".
"When there was no COVID-19, we would travel a lot during a season, as much as tennis pros do," he says.But no matter if it is one or two hoops, players from the Balkan country are excelling in the NBA. Many future stars grew up on these courts, relentlessly copying their idols and playing amateur street basketball tournaments.
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