FIBA has signed a three-year partnership with L1VE that will allow fans to purchase virtual tickets and experience 3×3 basketball from a courtside perspective through VR headsets.
The agreement covers the FIBA 3×3 World Tour, FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series and FIBA 3×3 World Cup, with the partnership set to begin at the World Tour event in Debrecen, Hungary, on August 29-30.
L1VE uses stereoscopic 360-degree 3D technology to capture live events, allowing viewers to experience games from a virtual courtside seat. Fans will also be able to invite friends into the same virtual environment, regardless of their physical location.
The partnership represents another step in FIBA’s efforts to expand the digital experience around 3×3 basketball, a format built around bringing the sport closer to fans through city-centre events and festival-style environments.
“3×3 basketball was built to bring the game closer to the fans,” said Alex Sanchez, FIBA’s 3×3 Basketball Managing Director. “Working with L1VE over the next three seasons, we are exploring new ways for audiences around the world to experience the intensity and energetic setting of our events.”
Taking the event beyond the arena
The commercial opportunity for immersive viewing is particularly relevant to 3×3, which stages competitions in cities around the world. While the format is designed to create an accessible, fan-focused environment, travelling to every event remains impractical for most supporters.
The L1VE partnership aims to bridge that gap by turning the physical courtside experience into a digital product that can be accessed remotely.
FIBA is not the first sports property to experiment with virtual attendance. Burnley previously offered supporters a virtual seat at Turf Moor through VR for a pre-season match against Lazio. However, that initiative has not been regularly repeated.
FIBA’s three-year agreement gives the technology a broader platform across an international competition calendar, potentially creating a new layer of ticketing and fan-engagement inventory beyond traditional physical attendance.
The partnership also reflects the wider evolution of sports rights, with governing bodies increasingly looking beyond conventional broadcast models to create paid, immersive experiences for fans who cannot attend events in person.