Defence! Defence!– a cry that rings out from basketball fans all around the world as they cheer on their teams. So really, what better partner could a basketball team have on its side than a security and technology company? Since October 2022, Rheinmetall has been supporting two professional 3×3 basketball teams from the state capital of North Rhine Westphalia – men’s team LFDY Düsseldorf and women’s team the Düsseldorf ZOOS – as part of an agreement with D.SPORTS/Sportstadt Düsseldorf. Both teams play basketball at the highest level and compete in international tournaments.

Düsseldorf Is a Hub For 3X3

That apposite rallying cry was of course not the main reason for Rheinmetall to support this special variation on the popular ball game. Philipp von Brandenstein, head of Corporate Communications at Rheinmetall AG, makes that perfectly clear: “We’re delighted that Rheinmetall can make a contribution to the evolution of this sport, which is still relatively new. It’s an excellent addition to our existing sponsorship commitments in traditional sports such as handball and table tennis.” The fact that Rheinmetall is based in Düsseldorf is also a factor. With its two top teams, the city on the Lower Rhine is becoming one of the most vital hubs for the dynamic game of 3×3 basketball, which is experiencing a surge in popularity across Germany

What Ia 3X3 Basketball?

The sport of 3×3 basketball can trace its roots back to “streetball,” which has been played in major US cities such as New York and Los Angeles since the 1980s and 1990s. It differs from conventional basketball in that three people play on each team instead of five. In addition, both teams shoot for the same basket. Unlike streetball, however, the game has clearly defined rules. Each game lasts a maximum of ten minutes, but a team can win before then by reaching a score of 21 points. The teams alternate between attacking and defending, with the roles switching when a team loses possession or scores a basket, for example. The ticking clock adds to the tension because the team currently on the offensive is given just twelve seconds to take a shot at the basket. Incidentally, 3×3 basketball has been an Olympic sport since 2020.

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Good For the Sport, Good For the Company

Ties almost never happen in basketball – with very few exceptions, one side or the other always wins. In this case, though, there are actually two winners. The players, for a start, are thrilled to have such high-profile sponsorship, as team manager Emre Atsür explains: “What we’ve set up in Düsseldorf is absolutely amazing. That applies both to the professional side, where we’ve achieved success on the international stage, and in the youth game, where we’ve inspired a whole host of kids to get involved in our emerging Olympic sport. Achieving that across the different levels would not have been possible without the support of Rheinmetall.” In return for its role as an official “premium” partner, Rheinmetall gets to display its logo on the LFDY Düsseldorf website, on banners at home games and on the team photos for both the professional lineups. Posts by LDFY and the ZOOS also occasionally link to the company’s social media channels. This gives Rheinmetall a presence among a young target group that might otherwise never have heard of the company.