Soweto delivered another major 3×3 basketball statement as MBB Blue Soldiers defended their national crown, The Takeover conquered the women’s division and two South African teams earned their passports to Manila.
The basketball energy was undeniable at Klipspruit Sports Centre on Saturday as Red Bull Half Court transformed the Soweto venue into a high-octane celebration of 3×3 basketball, street culture and competitive skill.
By the end of the day, two teams had separated themselves from the pack.
MBB Blue Soldiers did what champions are supposed to do defend their territory.
The Soweto-based side successfully retained its Red Bull Half Court national title, making history as South Africa’s first back-to-back champions since the competition arrived in the country in 2025.
On the women’s side, a new champion emerged.
The Takeover stepped up, survived the pressure and claimed the women’s national championship.
Both teams now have a much bigger challenge ahead.
They will represent South Africa at the Red Bull Half Court World Final in Manila, Philippines, on 5 December 2026, where the country’s best 3×3 talent will go head-to-head with champions from around the world.
THE CHAMPIONS CAME HOME
There was something almost cinematic about Lebesa Selepe’s return to Klipspruit.
The MBB Blue Soldiers captain grew up only a few streets from the sports centre. This was familiar territory but there was nothing familiar about the pressure waiting for him.
A year after helping MBB Blue Soldiers become South Africa’s first Red Bull Half Court champions, Selepe was back with one objective:
Do it again.
And the defending champions delivered.
Winning a national championship is difficult.
Defending one is a different level of pressure.
After the victory Selepe said.
“It’s a totally amazing feeling. We came out here as defending champions, which is difficult. To win one championship is difficult, but what’s even harder is to defend your title. That’s exactly what we did.”
The achievement also comes with perspective.
Last year, MBB Blue Soldiers travelled to Dubai for the World Final and made South African basketball history.
They defeated Macedonia and the Maldives, narrowly fell to the United States and progressed to the quarterfinals the deepest run by a South African Red Bull team at the global event.
Now they have another opportunity.
Only this time, they’re not arriving as unknowns.
They’re arriving with experience.
And they’re arriving hungry.
“Hopefully this year we can repeat that at the National Final and go two steps further at the World Final and compete for the title,” Selepe said.
EXPERIENCE MEETS STREETBALL
MBB Blue Soldiers’ success is not built around one player.
The squad has assembled a serious collection of basketball experience, giving its streetball game a foundation of elite-level competition.
Arinze Nino Dim enters Manila with two Basketball Africa League seasons behind him, alongside two South African club championships and a university national tournament MVP award.
Neo Mothiba brings more than 50 senior national-team appearances and five Afrobasket campaigns.
Rabbi Belolo-Loussaloussou is also a two-time South African club champion and already understands the international demands of Red Bull Half Court after travelling with the team to Dubai last year.
This is a squad that has already tasted international basketball.
Now it wants the whole meal.
For Nino Dim, competitions such as Red Bull Half Court can play an important role in expanding the country’s 3×3 basketball ecosystem.
“It brings out different players from around the country to compete for the opportunity,” he said.
But the opportunity goes beyond winning in Soweto.
The real prize is exposure to the world’s best.
“We know this isn’t the end,” Nino Dim added. “It also gives guys the chance to go and play the World Final and compete against the best in the world.”
That international platform matters.
So does what happens when the players come home.
Belolo-Loussaloussou believes the visibility can create a pathway for younger basketball players who are watching from the sidelines.
“Red Bull is putting us on the map and giving us the exposure we need,” he said.
That may ultimately become one of the most important victories of all.
THE TAKEOVER BREAK THROUGH
While the men’s division produced a repeat champion, the women’s competition delivered a fresh storyline.
The reigning Hoop Hustlers did not return to defend their 2025 crown, creating an open race and giving the chasing pack an opportunity to rewrite the championship picture.
Among the contenders were Size Nenye, Blue Flames, Buckets and Bruises, Ghiv Us, MBB Blue Soldiers’ women’s team and The Takeover.
When the final battles were done, The Takeover had taken the throne.
For 18-year-old shooting guard Liamisha Aboo, the championship was the reward for refusing to let the moment become too big.
“We really wanted this, and it showed on court,” Aboo said. “We didn’t give up. It was a big fight the whole way.”
The championship also highlighted the value of chemistry.
Aboo shared the court with Lauren Fredericks, Tlhogi Taukobong and Hope Mbele, with Mbele making a particularly strong contribution despite not being involved in the team’s original qualifiers.
The result?
A team that found another gear when it mattered.
“We connected so well,” Aboo said.
Now that chemistry will be tested against international opposition.
Interestingly, Aboo isn’t calling for a complete tactical overhaul before Manila.
Her philosophy is much simpler.
Rest.
Train.
Sharpen.
Then play their game.
“We had a really good game, so maybe just a few practices to polish some things.”
That confidence could prove valuable when the level rises in Manila.
WHEN SPORT BECOMES CULTURE
The competition itself was only one part of the Klipspruit experience.
Red Bull Half Court brought together the competitive side of basketball with the culture surrounding it.
World-renowned shooting coach Chris Matthews, better known as Lethal Shooter, brought his expertise to the venue, meeting fans and putting participants through a shooting challenge.
An open dunk contest added another layer of athletic spectacle, while a 1v1 competition gave players outside the knockout rounds another opportunity to put their individual skills on display.
Then came the entertainment.
Kamo Mphela brought the performance energy, helping turn the event into more than a tournament.
That is where 3×3 basketball continues to separate itself.
It is fast.
It is physical.
It is accessible.
And it naturally sits at the intersection of sport, music, fashion, entertainment and street culture.
Klipspruit understood that perfectly.
TWO TEAMS. ONE FLAG. MANILA AWAITS.
The Soweto chapter is finished.
The international chapter is next.
MBB Blue Soldiers will travel to Manila carrying the confidence of consecutive national championships and the memory of a quarterfinal appearance at last year’s World Final.
The Takeover will arrive with something different the hunger and unpredictability of a team experiencing its first taste of the global Red Bull Half Court stage.
But both teams have the same responsibility.
Represent South Africa.
On 5 December, the country’s champions will step onto the global stage against national winners from across the world.
For MBB Blue Soldiers, the mission is to go beyond Dubai.
For The Takeover, it is about discovering just how far their game can travel.
And for South African 3×3 basketball, this is another opportunity to show the world that the country’s streets are producing players capable of competing far beyond them.
Soweto produced the champions.
Manila will reveal how far they can go.
