Basketball courts will take over Deer District next weekend as the Hoop It Up 3x3 tour returns to downtown Milwaukee for a third straight year. The tournament runs August 15 and 16, with teams still able to sign up ahead of the event.
Michael Belot, the Milwaukee Bucks' senior vice president of business operations and chief real estate development officer, shared details on how teams can register, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee. The tour is officially linked to the Milwaukee Bucks, whose real estate arm developed the 30-acre Deer District precinct surrounding Fiserv Forum since the arena opened in 2018, according to Deer District.
Hoop It Up isn't a new name to streetball fans. The tour traces back to 1989, when it was created in Dallas by a local businessman and grew into one of the country's premier grassroots 3x3 basketball circuits, helping standardize informal streetball rules that had been played casually for decades, per Britannica.
A Legend Now Owns the League
These days, the tour has a Hall of Fame name behind it. NBA great Kevin Garnett acquired Hoop It Up in April 2019 through his company, Big Ticket Sports LLC, where he serves as owner alongside CEO George Daniel, per the company's own team page. Garnett formed Big Ticket Sports to manage grassroots athletic properties across the country.
The tournament also carries real competitive weight beyond the plaza outside Fiserv Forum. Since 2021, Hoop It Up has held an official sanctioning agreement with FIBA 3x3, meaning Pro-Am teams and players competing in Milwaukee can earn ranking points toward international competitions, including the FIBA 3x3 World Tour, World Cup, and Olympic qualifiers.
Games, Contests and a Trip to Denver
The Deer District event guarantees every registered team at least three half-court games played to 21 points. The Pro-Am division winner earns a $1,000 travel stipend to compete at the national championship in Denver, according to Hoop It Up's own tournament details.
Beyond the youth, adult and Pro-Am brackets, organizers have built in a slam dunk contest and a three-point contest, plus scheduled appearances by former Milwaukee Bucks player Brandon Jennings, per the Milwaukee Bucks.
Milwaukee's Long History With the Tour
When Hoop It Up first arrived at Deer District in August 2024, it marked the tournament's return to Milwaukee after more than a decade away — the tour had last played in the city back in 2012, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This year's event is the third consecutive Hoop It Up tournament held in Deer District.
The sport itself has climbed a long way from street courts to the world stage. 3x3 basketball officially debuted as an Olympic medal sport at the Tokyo 2020 Games and returned at Paris 2024, using a half-court setup, a 12-second shot clock, and games played to 21 points or 10 minutes, per Britannica.
A Growing Entertainment District
The tournament arrives as Deer District keeps expanding well beyond game days. NCG Hospitality broke ground on August 5 on a seven-story, 156-room AC Hotel by Marriott at 430 W. State St., just steps from Fiserv Forum, adding lodging capacity to the neighborhood.
That follows the February opening of Landmark Credit Union Live, a $70 million, 4,500-capacity indoor music venue built on part of the former Bradley Center site. Between the new hotel, the concert venue and a returning basketball tournament with an Olympic pedigree, Deer District's summer calendar shows little sign of slowing down.
