In 2025, the 'Hongcheon Challenger,' the only 'FIBA 3x3 Pro Circuit tournament' held domestically, will open.
KXO (Korean 3x3 Basketball Federation), Hongcheon County (Mayor Shin Young-jae), Hongcheon County Council (Chairman Park Young-rok), and the Hongcheon County Sports Council (Chairman Shin Eun-seob) will consecutively hold the 'NH Nonghyup Bank FIBA 3x3 Hongcheon Challenger 2025 (hereinafter referred to as Hongcheon Challenger)' and the 'NH Nonghyup Bank 2025 KXO 3x3 Hongcheon Light Quest (hereinafter referred to as Hongcheon Light Quest)' from the 9th to the 11th at the special court of Tori Forest City Forest Park in Hongcheon County, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province.
The Hongcheon Challenger, which has been held since 2023, will be held for the third consecutive year in 2025 and is the only FIBA 3x3 Pro Circuit tournament held domestically. The FIBA 3x3 Pro Circuit consists of a World Tour and challengers.
In particular, this year, in addition to the existing Hongcheon Challenger, the Hongcheon Light Quest, which grants entry to the FIBA 3x3 Challenger, will be held immediately after the Hongcheon Challenger on the 11th (Sunday), making it a true 3x3 festival in Hongcheon.
The Hongcheon Challenger will feature 16 teams with impressive credentials. The highest level teams ever will challenge the Hongcheon Challenger. This tournament is expected to showcase strong competitors from around the world, including Lithuania, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Serbia, France, Czech Republic, and Australia.
The standout team is Raudonbaris (Lithuania), composed of the Lithuanian 3x3 national team. The first-seed Raudonbaris secured victory at the FIBA 3x3 Chengdu World Tour 2025 held on the 3rd and 4th and also won at the 2023 Hongcheon Challenger.
Ripah (Bahrain), who experienced victory at last year's Shanghai World Tour and Pristina Challenger, and the traditional powerhouses Liman (Serbia) and Lausanne (Switzerland) will also participate in the Hongcheon Challenger, where the team that claimed victory at the Hongcheon Mugunghwa Challenger last year, Basket Bon (then FC St. Pauli), has recruited 220 cm center Rotimi Sofia Ogunna to once again challenge for glory in Hongcheon.
Among the formidable teams, Seoul Cosmo is the only team from Korea that will participate in the Hongcheon Challenger. Seoul Cosmo, featuring Yun Seong-su, who performed well at the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2025 in March, has added Go Yang Sono's Lee Geun-jun to the roster.
Lee Geun-jun, who joined Go Yang Sono as the second pick in the first round of last year's 2024 KBL rookie draft, possesses strengths in defense and three-point shooting as a 3&D asset, opting for early entry instead of attending college, and has been active in the KBL this season. Lee Geun-jun will challenge the Hongcheon Challenger alongside Yun Seong-su, Lee Dong-yoon, and Kang Byeong-jin.
Various congratulatory performances are being prepared to celebrate the Hongcheon Challenger, which will be held for the third consecutive year. During the opening ceremony of this tournament, singer Kim Kwang-jin, known for 'Castle of Magic,' is expected to visit the Hongcheon Challenger again following last year, along with a congratulatory performance from the popular dance YouTuber 'Brick Grandpa' and W-Girls.
The NH Nonghyup Bank FIBA 3x3 Hongcheon Challenger 2025, marking the start of a large-scale 3x3 festival in Hongcheon over three days, will kick off with the qualifying draw A match between Singapore and Buyinghunger (Mongolia) at 11:30 a.m. on the 9th (Friday).
All matches of the tournament will be broadcast live on the official FIBA 3x3 YouTube channel, while major matches will be televised on KBS N Sports.
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