Played on a half court, with one hoop, three-person teams and just 10 minutes game time, 3X3 basketball is a whole new ballgame.

Josh Adamson, Curtis Thompson, James Green, Alex Pou Poasa, Victoria Webster-Paki and James Hegarty take a photo break from their game. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

Basketballers can try out the sport's shorter format with the Burger King 3X3 Quest Tour, returning to Blake Park on January 23, in its fifth stop of the nationwide summer tour.

Known as street ball, 3X3 is a form of basketball played three a side on one hoop, with teams restricted to 12 seconds to shoot, instead of 24 seconds in regular five-aside.

Open to all ages and abilities, the 3X3 tour is divided into Under 14, Under 16, Under 18 and Open grades for men and women.

Tauranga City Basketball general manager Mark Rogers says the winners of the Open Men's Grade are eligible to play in the World Tour Qualifier Final at Auckland's Aotea Square on April 2.

'The winner of the national finals for the men wins a free trip to Asia to compete in the world tour.”

This is the third time Tauranga has hosted the 3X3 tour. 'Last year we had the biggest event in the country of the New Zealand tour, so we're hoping for a similar turn out on January 23,” says Mark.

'There's hope for it to be an Olympic sport in 2020. So it's going to be another opportunity for players to compete at a very high level.

'But it's also great fun for everybody because you don't need a lot of space or equipment, you can just get out and play.”

All 3X3 Tour events are endorsed by International Basketball Federation FIBA, with players encouraged to register at 3X3Planet.com where they can compare skills with friends and professional players on the international circuit.

Players could even catch the eye of national selectors as they look to identify talent for New Zealand representative 3X3 sides for the Men's and Women's FIBA 3X3 U18 World Championships, and the Men's and Women's FIBA 3X3 Oceania Championships Open.

The Burger King 3X3 Quest Tour is at Blake Park on January 23, with registrations at 9am and games from 10am. Entry is Free.

For more information, visit www.basketball.org.nz/Competitions/3X3/