The Big3 is one of Ice Cube’s ‘greatest accomplishments’
MILWAUKEE (BVM) – Ice Cube is a mogul in the entertainment industry. The South Central Los Angeles native is most known for helping form the pioneering rap group N.W.A. or his role in producing and starring in the Friday franchise.
But perhaps Ice Cube’s most coveted venture is his current one. Alongside entertainment industry executive Jeff Kwatinetz, Ice Cube founded the Big3 in 2017, and the revolutionary 3-on-3 basketball league that features both former NBA and international players has been gaining momentum ever since.
“It’s a lot of rappers out there and a lot of actors out there, but it’s only a few founders that can say that they were there at the beginning of a professional league,” Ice Cube said during a phone interview Wednesday. “It’s setting the stage for people like Kenyon Martin, Chauncey Billups, Allen Iverson, Jermaine O’Neal to continue their career and continue to perform at a high level in front of American fans.
“All those things make it one of my greatest accomplishments.”
Now in its fourth season after missing out on 2020 due to COVID-19, the Big3 is back at the perfect time, Ice Cube said. With the NBA Finals in the rearview and the NFL season on the horizon, Ice Cube hopes the Big3 can fill a void for sports fans with its action-packed and innovative league.
“Just being a sports fan and knowing that if you’re not into baseball, soccer or preseason football, the summer has been pretty grueling for you,” Ice Cube said with a chuckle. “Between the NBA Finals and the start of the NBA season, there’s like three months of just waiting or settling for preseason football or summer league basketball.”
It’s the perfect time of year for a ground-breaking sports league that features elite-level talent on a weekly basis in major cities. Just ask the likes of Kanye West, Chuck Liddell, Maxx Crosby and other celebrities who have been spotted courtside.
The Big3 is already teeming with former NBA talent such as the league’s leading scorer in Joe Johnson, Leandro Barbosa, Jarrett Jack, Jason Richardson and more. The league upped the ante even more following the 2019 season with some notable rule changes, lowering the minimum age of athletes from 27 to 22 and opening the league to all nonprofessional and professional athletes.
Former NBA Pro Alonzo Gee been BALLIN in the BIG3 😤 @thebig3 pic.twitter.com/aMsVhGUUNx
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) August 4, 2021
“That, to me, was a no-brainer,” Ice Cube said of the rule changes. “Just because you were great in the NBA doesn’t mean you’ll be great in the Big3 and vice-versa. We realized that it takes a special athlete to do this type of hoops and with the new rules, we want to make our game exciting and unique. It’s been just what the doctor ordered in year four to keep this train moving.
“I’d put our players up with any players in the world and that’s just what we want. We want guys respecting our athletes and not looking at them as guys who are retired. Our guys are far from retired; retired guys come sit next to me.”
The best 3×3 Player in the world https://t.co/3c9eno8rtI
— Ice Cube (@icecube) August 3, 2021
Ice Cube and the Big3 will make an appearance at the home of the current NBA champions on Thursday. Week 5 takes place in the Milwaukee Bucks’ Fiserv Forum and being just weeks removed from its first NBA title in 50 years, Ice Cube knows the city of Milwaukee is eager for hoops to return.
“Being from L.A. and going through a lot of championships with the Lakers, I know that once you win a championship, there’s a buzz in the city and you can’t get enough basketball; you wish the Bucks were still playing and that the party can continue,” Ice Cube said. “It’s a great place to be for the league because I know the city is just on cloud nine when it comes to hoops and keeping the celebration going.”
Staying in the Midwest, the Big3 will travel south down I-94 for Week 6 in Chicago on Saturday. Revered in the Windy City in part due to his role in the Barbershop movie series which takes place on the South Side of Chicago, Ice Cube is excited to return to his “second city.”
Saturday’s event at Credit Union 1 Arena will also feature a special musical performance from Chicago’s own G-Herbo.
“I love Chicago like I love my cousins; I don’t get a chance to see my cousins too often but whenever I do, it’s nothing but love, respect and joy,” Ice Cube said. “I have a kinship to Chicago, you know, I’ve picked a lot of great actors from Chicago to be in my movies from Bernie Mac to Lisa Raye and the names just go on and on.
“I love being in the city, I love the city, the people and I feel like the people in Chicago and L.A. share similar flavors. It’s just a cool thing to actually be connected in some kind of way with that great city.”
As far as the next step for the Big3? Expansion.
Ice Cube said the plan is for the league to grow from 12 teams to 16 teams in the next few years, and the pool of players might not just be limited to the U.S.
“We’re moving to create what’s called the Big Cup which is inviting all kinds of countries with 3-on-3 teams to play for a world cup type of situation; that’s the long game,” Ice Cube said. “It’s important to make sure that we’re putting out the best product.”
Week 5 kicks off on Thursday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee at 3 p.m. CT/4 p.m. ET on Triller/FITE TV and Week 6 begins Saturday at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago at 11 a.m. CT/ 12 p.m. ET on CBS.
Don’t miss out! Join us this Thursday for @thebig3. 🏀 Doors open at 2 p.m.
🎟: https://t.co/AvXU0axL56 https://t.co/2qHvwbo6sF
— Fiserv Forum (@FiservForum) August 3, 2021
