NBA, Mountain Dew launch national 3-on-3 competition tour

NEW YORK (AP) The NBA and Mountain Dew are launching a 3-on-3 competition tour that will award the winning teams spots in next year's USA Basketball 3-on-3

NEW YORK (AP) The NBA and Mountain Dew are launching a 3-on-3 competition tour that will award the winning teams spots in next year's USA Basketball 3-on-3 tournament.

Dew NBA 3X will make stops in six NBA markets, beginning May 21-22 in Atlanta and culminating in Los Angeles on Oct. 22-23 with the Dew NBA 3X National Finals.

Each two-day event will feature more than 30 preselected men's and women's teams that will begin with pool play, followed by a single-elimination playoff bracket, resulting in city champions.

FIBA, basketball's governing body, has pushed 3-on-3 basketball in recent years as a way to get more players involved in the sport.

Other stops on the tour include Miami (June 25-26), Dallas (July 30-31), Chicago (Aug. 13-14) and Houston (Sept. 17-18). The winning teams from the Atlanta tournament will also qualify for the 2016 USA Basketball 3x3 National Tournament in Colorado in August.