Toulouse were crowned champions of the FIBA 3×3 Singapore Challenger after defeating Hangzhou Jingwei 21-12 in the final on Sunday evening.

The French side, featuring Paul Djoko, Jules Rambaut, Franck Seguela and Hugo Suhard, completed an unbeaten run through the group stage, then overcame Caloocan 18-10 in the quarter-finals and Amsterdam RABOBANK 17-14 in the semi-finals to book their place in the championship game.

Their victory brought to a close four consecutive days of international 3×3 basketball in Singapore, comprising the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Singapore and the Singapore Challenger, which together welcomed more than 4,500 fans.

Toulouse made the brighter start against Hangzhou, with Suhard opening the scoring before the French side began to build an early advantage.

Hangzhou stayed within reach through the opening exchanges, but Toulouse continued to find different routes to the basket, with Rambaut, Djoko and Seguela all contributing as Toulouse moved into a 10-5 lead.

The Chinese side responded by cutting the deficit, but Toulouse maintained their composure and continued to apply pressure at both ends of the court. Their defence, a key part of their run throughout the tournament, again limited Hangzhou’s opportunities to build sustained scoring runs.

Toulouse held a 17-10 advantage into the closing stages before Suhard found his range from beyond the arc. He knocked down a two-pointer to move his side to within two points of victory, but Hangzhou responded with two quick scores to make it 19-12.

Suhard then struck again from long range, connecting on the game-winning two-pointer to seal the 21-12 victory and secure the Singapore title.

Suhard said: “The key was the defence. We played great defence throughout the tournament. Making shots is up and down – sometimes you score, sometimes you don’t – so the key for us was to play hard defence and be aggressive to the rim. That’s what we did throughout the tournament, especially in the final.”

On his late scoring burst, he added: “I wasn’t playing so well until the last two shots, but I know my teammates trust me. We shared the ball well, and at the end I scored the first one, felt good, and took the second opportunity I had to finish the game.”

The Singapore Challenger follows the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series, where Netherlands U25 claimed the title in an overtime victory over Slovenia on Friday.

For Suhard and Toulouse, it was a memorable first visit to Singapore: “It was amazing. It’s our first time in Singapore and the whole organisation was perfect. I feel like the city likes basketball, so it was amazing to play here.”

The Singapore Challenger was the second FIBA 3×3 Challenger staged in the country this year, following the inaugural Lion City Challenger at *SCAPE in June, which was won by Antwerp.

Under the expanded Sport Singapore-FIBA partnership, Singapore will host two FIBA 3×3 Challenger events and one FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series event each year from 2026 to 2031, creating more opportunities for local fans to watch world-class basketball and for Team Singapore athletes to compete against top-ranked players on home ground.

Attention will now build towards the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2027, as Singapore hosts the sport’s pinnacle event for the first time in Southeast Asia. The seven-day competition is expected to welcome 40 of the world’s top men’s and women’s teams to Singapore in June 2027.