BANGKOK (Thailand) \u2013 The rise of Noortje Driessen (NED) and Caden Pierce (USA) to MVP honors at the FIBA 3×3 Sponsor | Red Bull Champions Cup 2026 is more than a story of individual excellence.<\/p>\n
It is a reflection of a system working exactly as intended.<\/p>\n
Both players are now among the standout stars of the global 3×3 basketball stage. They are also products of the discipline\u2019s structured development pathway, having honed their game through the FIBA 3×3 Nations League and the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup.<\/p>\n
Pathway built for progression<\/p>\n
The 3×3 basketball ecosystem has been designed to create a clear progression from youth competition to elite international play.<\/p>\n
The FIBA 3×3 Nations League provides consistent, high-frequency competition for young players, helping them adapt to the unique rhythm of 3×3 basketball — quick decisions, physical play and constant transitions.<\/p>\n
The U23 World Cup, meanwhile, serves as a global proving ground, where emerging talents test themselves against the best in their age group.<\/p>\n
For Driessen and Pierce, those platforms were critical steps.<\/p>\n
Driessen\u2019s rise to dominance<\/p>\n
For Noortje Driessen, the journey through the 3×3 basketball pathway has translated into leadership at the highest level. She has played in numerous FIBA 3×3 Nations League stops and also saw action in two FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cups (2019 and 2022).<\/p>\n
Her performances in youth competitions helped shape a player capable of controlling games with both physical presence and scoring ability. That growth was on full display in Bangkok, where she delivered a dominant campaign capped by 15 points in the Final to lead the Netherlands to the title.<\/p>\n
Now an MVP on muktiple senior level stages, Driessen embodies the progression from promising talent to elite performer.<\/p>\n
Pierce delivers on potential<\/p>\n
A similar story can be seen with Caden Pierce, whose development through the 3×3 basketball system has equipped him for the demands of the international game.<\/p>\n
Having competed in both the FIBA 3×3 Nations League and U23 World Cup events, Pierce has grown into a player capable of impacting games on both ends of the floor. He was the USA’s star as they won three FIBA 3×3 Nations League stops in 2024 and three more in 2025. His athleticism and energy were key to the United States\u2019 title run in Bangkok, as he consistently delivered in high-pressure moments.<\/p>\n
His FIBA 3×3 Champions Cup MVP recognition marks the arrival of another player fully formed by the 3×3 basketball pathway.<\/p>\n
Proof of concept<\/p>\n
The success of Driessen and Pierce highlights the effectiveness of the 3×3 basketball development model.<\/p>\n
From youth competitions to elite events like the FIBA 3×3 Champions Cup, the pathway is producing players who are not only ready for the global stage but capable of defining it.<\/p>\n
As the discipline continues to grow and the road to LA28 unfolds, stories like these underline a clear message:<\/p>\n
The future of 3×3 basketball is already here, and it\u2019s been built step by step.<\/p>\n
FIBA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BANGKOK (Thailand) \u2013 The rise of Noortje Driessen (NED) and Caden Pierce (USA) to MVP honors at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":559051,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-559050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=559050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/559051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=559050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=559050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=559050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}