For one day this summer, Nelson’s column is getting some competition. Trafalgar Square hosts the Jr. NBA 3v3 Finals on Thursday 9 July, transforming one of London’s most photographed squares into a full-scale basketball stage, complete with courts, a creator tournament and DJ AG on the decks.
The day belongs primarily to London’s secondary school players. Now in its second year, Jr. NBA 3v3 is a free, city-wide programme that’s already engaged over 9,000 young people, with qualifiers running since March across the capital. The Trafalgar Square final brings together the best Year 9 to 11 players from those qualifiers to compete in front of a live crowd, which is a genuinely big deal for teenagers who’ve spent months working towards exactly this.
DJ AG and the creator tournament
The day doesn’t stop there. Once the school finals wrap up, the afternoon shifts into an NBA 3X creator tournament in partnership with Foot Locker, with Darkest Man, Harry Pinero, Elz the Witch and The Royal Guard captaining teams. DJ AG provides the soundtrack throughout, which is worth knowing if you haven’t come across him: he’s the Tottenham DJ who built a genuine following by setting up his decks on London street corners and handing the mic to whoever wants a turn, named Time Out’s Londoner of the Year in 2024 for exactly that. Having him on the mic for this is a proper London touch rather than a generic NBA hire.
Activations and family-friendly extras
Beyond the basketball, Foot Locker is running a Dome Drop activation, an interactive challenge where fans race the clock to grab flying tickets for rewards, alongside an NBA arcade with pop-a-shot machines and photo opportunities with the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Wheelchair basketball is also part of the programme, which is a welcome and not always a given at events built around elite youth sport.
The London x London Take: Free, family-friendly and genuinely grounded in London’s own grassroots basketball scene rather than just an NBA marketing exercise dropped into the capital. Worth building an afternoon around if you’re anywhere near Trafalgar Square that Thursday.
Need to Know
- Where: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N
- When: Thursday 9 July 2026, Jr. NBA 3v3 from 9.30am to 4.45pm, NBA 3X from 5pm to 7.45pm
- Price: Free
- More info on the tournament
