Ub beats Shanghai in Macau, Brankovic named tournament MVP
Ub won the FIBA 3x3 World Tour event in Macau, the team's third trophy of the season. Marko Brankovic was named the most valuable player.
The last point of the Macau final came from the free-throw line, and Strahinja Stojacic made it. His seven points sealed the game against China’s Shanghai, which Ub won 21-15 to take the FIBA 3x3 World Tour title on October 18.
It is the Serbian team’s third trophy of the 2026 season and its third title in Macau, after those in 2023 and 2024. Marko Brankovic was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
The official FIBA 3x3 account on X posted a short message about the win on October 18:
“UB are BACK on top!”
How did Ub reach the final?
Ub played the whole knockout stage in one day, on Sunday, and needed three games to lift the trophy. The score was 21-15 in both the semifinal and the final.
In the quarterfinal, Ub beat China’s Deqing 22-13. Brankovic led the team in that game with 11 points, including four two-pointers.
The toughest test came in the semifinal against Germany’s Stajliners, who had knocked out Amsterdam 20-16 in the previous round. Stefan Kojic scored eight points for the Germans. The game was tied 12-12 midway through, then Ub took control and won 21-15. Nenad Nerandzic was the top scorer for the winners with eight points.
The final was less tense. Ub set the pace against Shanghai and held the lead to the end, and Stojacic, with seven points, closed out the game from the free-throw line.
Why was Brankovic chosen as MVP?
Brankovic finished the tournament with 36 points and eight two-pointers. He ranked second among all participants in both categories, and his efficiency index came to 47.7. He was at his best in the knockout stage: 11 points against Deqing, then a key contribution in the semifinal against Stajliners, after which Ub reached the final.
What comes next for Ub?
With three tournament wins, Ub is one of only two teams on this season’s World Tour with that many titles. The other is Germany’s Baskets Bonn.
The tour now pauses for a continental event, the FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup, which runs from October 28 to November 1 in El Salvador. It resumes on November 6 and 7 in Dubai, which will host a tournament in this series for the first time.
