Faster, shorter and more dynamic, basketball's street-based extravaganza of alley hoops and slam dunks is set to return to Tauranga with the Burger King 3X3 Tour.

Currently visiting 12 locations nationwide this summer, the action packed tour makes its fifth stop with the Bay of Plenty leg set down for January 24 at the Blake Park Tennis Courts, Mount Maunganui.

The Burger King 3X3 Tour returns to Tauranga on January 24. Photo: Supplied.

This will be the second time the tour has stopped in Tauranga, with the sport's shorter format fast becoming a global sensation on a professional circuit played in some of the world's most iconic locations.

As with all legs, the Tauranga event is open to all players and will have Under-14, Under-16, Under-18 and Open events for both men and women.

Each game lasts just 10 minutes and teams are restricted to 12 seconds to sho0t as opposed to 24 in regular five-aside.

Tauranga City Basketball general manager Mark Rogers says it's exciting to have the tour return for the second year running, helping promote the sport even further.

'It's starting to snowball,” he says. 'We have our own three-on-three tournament we have been running for a few years now and we get up to 50 teams for that.

'This year we are also hosting a Bay-wide secondary schools three-on-three tournament, so it's starting to pick up.”

Given the time of year, Mark isn't predicting the same number of teams as the Tauranga City Basketball run event, but is confident of a strong field.

'I definitely expect it to grow on last year where we had 20 something teams,” he says.

'The fact that we are on the national tour and that's growing itself is exciting.”

The Burger King 3X3 Tour is endorsed by FIBA, with players encouraged to build an online profile at 3X3Planet.com in order to enter events.

'This means that players can then enter events, track their results and compare their ranking to their friend's and other 3X3 players,” says Basketball NZ chief executive Iain Potter.

'This is particularly appealing to younger adults who can enjoy the game both on and then off the court after the game is over, as 3X3Planet.com is also available as a mobile app.”

Online registrations close on January 23. There may be on-the-day registrations, depending on availability.

Winners will receive prizes and there will be a slam/dunk competition where ballers can showcase their skills.

The Burger King Tour is running until March 14, visiting 12 locations throughout New Zealand – an increase of two tournaments from last summer.