The Harish Sharma 3×3 All India Basketball Championship 2025, set to be held on December 27–28 in New Delhi, has rapidly emerged as one of India’s most important basketball properties a dynamic blend of elite competition, legacy, and the future-focused 3×3 format.
More than just a tournament, this event is a national sporting movement honouring the late Harish Sharma, the visionary former Secretary General and CEO of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), whose lifelong mission was to modernize and globalize Indian basketball.
Backed by FIBA 3×3 endorsement, record participation, and a significantly enhanced prize purse, the 2025 edition marks a turning point in India’s integration with the global 3×3 system.
A Championship Built on Scale, Precision, and Vision
The 2025 event, hosted at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex, is designed for maximum impact. With the largest field in its history 80 teams (50 men and 30 women) the championship has doubled down on professionalism and operational efficiency.
To manage such volume in the fast-paced 3×3 format, organizers will run matches across four world-class courts simultaneously, compressing high-intensity play into an electrifying two-day spectacle. The scheduling also carries deep emotional resonance: the closing day, December 28, coincides with Harish Sharma’s birth anniversary, transforming the event into a living memorial.
Participation is entirely merit-driven. Each athlete must hold a verified FIBA 3×3 profile, an essential step ensuring that Indian players’ performances directly contribute to their global rankings—something unprecedented for a domestic competition of this scale.
Record Prize Money and Strategic Support
Financial incentives have been dramatically elevated. The organizers have doubled the prize purse compared to 2024, when INR 2,50,000 was distributed. This strategic increase signals confidence in the event’s growth and encourages the country’s top 3×3 talent to compete at the highest level.
Crucially, participation remains free, eliminating economic barriers for promising athletes. The tournament’s commercial structure is also sharply curated:
- Amit Anand, a former basketball player, sponsors the prize purse.
- Cosco provides professional-grade basketballs.
- JagsFresh and KnackPro ensure nutrition and hydration support.
This ecosystem reflects a model where community-driven commitment meets professional execution.
Governance: A Multi-Layered Powerhouse Behind the Event
The championship’s strength lies in its multi-tiered governance model, unique in Indian sport.
Prithvi Nath Club (PNC): The primary organizing body continues a family legacy of hosting premier basketball events, notably the Master Prithvi Nath All India Championship.
Delhi Basketball Association (DBA): As the official host, DBA brings state-level structure and BFI affiliation, enabling seamless coordination at scale.
Basketball Federation of India (BFI): The BFI’s sanction ensures the championship adheres to national competitive and technical norms.
FIBA 3×3
The most critical validation comes from FIBA. With matches officially contributing to global rankings and FIBA committing to live telecast, the event receives international legitimacy. This positions India as a serious player in world 3×3 basketball.
The driving forces behind this synergy are:
- Smt. Roopam Harish Sharma, Chairperson of the Organizing Committee, who anchors the event’s emotional and strategic purpose.
- Shri Sudhanshu Mittal, Co-Chairperson, whose leadership secured the prestigious FIBA approval.
The Enduring Legacy of Harish Sharma.
This championship is, above all, a tribute to Harish Sharma, who reshaped Indian basketball through innovation and courage.
A former international player known for precision and fierce dedication, Sharma later rose to the highest posts in Indian basketball Secretary General and CEO of the BFI, and Secretary-General of the FIBA Middle Asia Zone. He was widely respected for implementing policies that linked India more closely with global basketball structures, long before such integration became mainstream.
His reputation as a “visionary who lived for the game” is reflected in the tournament’s emphasis on 3×3 the modern, Olympic-recognized format that symbolizes agility, creativity, and speed. This format is the perfect embodiment of the forward-looking sport Sharma championed.
A Basketball Festival for All Generations
Beyond elite competition, the event is structured as a holistic basketball carnival. Attractive side events Dunk Contest (₹11,000 prize), 3-Point Shootouts, Free-Throw competitions (₹25,000 pool) ensure audience engagement. A standout innovation is the inclusion of veteran categories for ages 40+ to 80+, creating one of the most inclusive basketball festivals ever staged in India. This fosters emotional connection, nostalgia, and community pride, expanding the tournament’s impact beyond traditional sporting boundaries.
Setting the Foundation for India’s 3×3 Future
The 2025 championship provides a blueprint for future sports event management in India—integrating:
- High-volume operations,
- International sanctioning,
- Talent identification via global ranking systems,
- Multi-generational public participation, and
- A sustainable legacy model rooted in community memory.
Policy recommendations arising from this success include:
- Continual scaling of financial incentives,
- Long-term corporate partnerships,
- Enhanced athlete development pathways through FIBA-linked data, and
- Replication of this governance model in other states.
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The Harish Sharma 3×3 All India Basketball Championship 2025 stands not merely as an event, but as a definitive national benchmark a living embodiment of Harish Sharma’s legacy and a bold step towards India’s integration into the global basketball landscape.
By merging professionalism, emotional legacy, and a global-forward sporting format, the tournament confirms that 3×3 basketball is not just a discipline it is India’s pathway to international relevance and high-performance success.
A legacy, a festival, and a future all converging on one court.
