Big3
Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former NBA players and international players. The rules of Big3 games contain deviations from the official rules of 3-on-3 basketball as administered by FIBA. In January 2020, Big3 announced its rule set would be the core of a new basketball variant called "Fireball3" (stylized "FIREBALL3"). History. On January 11, 2017, Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz announced their new 3-on-3 basketball league at the Sheraton  Times Square Hotel, in New York City. Roger Mason Jr. was the first President and Commissioner. The Big3 held its first draft on April 30, and the inaugural week of games took place June 25 at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York. On August 26, 2017, Trilogy defeated the 3 Headed Monsters 51–46 in the inaugural Big3 Championship game, completing a perfect (10–0) season. The league's Most Valuable Player award was won by 3 Headed Monsters forward Rashard Lewis; Trilogy's undefeated season led to several awards for members of the team, including Defensive Player of the Year  (James White) and Coach of the Year (Rick Mahorn). On March 15, 2017, Clyde Drexler became the second Commissioner, replacing Roger Mason. On April 3, the Big3 and Adidas agreed on a three-year partnership in which Adidas would launch a full retail line of sneakers, clothing, and equipment to launch in 2019. In conjunction with Adidas, the Big3 launched Young3, a youth initiative for underprivileged young kids, that was held in each city with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. At the conclusion of the 2018 regular season, the Power and 3 Headed Monsters were both tied for the league 's best record (7–1); the Power would advance to the championship game, while the 3 Headed Monsters were ultimately eliminated by 3's Company in the semifinals. On August 24, 2018, the Power defeated 3's Company 51–43 to become the league's second champions. Power's Corey Maggette was awarded MVP and Captain of the Year, while Power's Nancy Lieberman was awarded Coach of the Year. On January 11, 2019, the Big3 announced that they would expand to 12 teams for the upcoming season, and move to two nights (consisting of three games each) per week. The league  will also play in 18 cities, and allow players as young as 27 to compete in the league. On January 15, 2020, Big3 made several major announcements, further lowering its age limit to 22, instituting open tryouts for league players, introducing some additional rule changes, and starting use of Fireball3 to describe its rule set. The competition would not be held in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure the league would have a 2021 season, the league took a $1.6 million Paycheck Protection Program loan during the pandemic, returning $700,000. On February 8, 2021 , Big3 announced Chris Hannan, a former senior executive with Fox Sports and Endeavor/IMG, would be assuming the role of Chief Executive Officer. On August 4, 2021, Ice Cube revealed that the league is one of his greatest accomplishments. He also wants to expand the league to 16 teams to create a 'Big Cup.' Rules. The rules of Fireball3, the basketball variant played by Big3, differ from FIBA-sanctioned 3-on-3 (branded as 3x3) games. They are as follows: During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, players under 30 years old were not eligible to compete in the league. In 2019 , the league changed the minimum age to 27 years, and in 2021 the minimum age was lowered again to 22. Teams. The Big3 began play in 2017 with eight teams: 3's Company, 3 Headed Monsters, Ball Hogs, Ghost Ballers, Killer 3's, Power, Trilogy, and Tri-State. In 2019, the league expanded to twelve teams, adding Bivouac, Enemies, Aliens, and Triplets. All Big3 teams are "barnstorming" teams and do not represent any cities or geographical regions. Regular season. In 2017 and 2018, teams competed in an eight-game, eight-week regular season from late-June through mid-August. Each  week, a different city hosted four games in which all eight teams would compete. Teams faced each other at least once during the regular season, with a rematch of the week one games occurring in week eight. The four teams with the best record at the end of the regular season qualified for the semifinals. In 2019, the league expanded to twelve teams and visits two cities each week, playing three games in each city. In 2021, the first three weekends and the last two Saturdays of play was held in Las Vegas, while a few weeks was held in  Dallas, Milwaukee and Chicago. Playoffs. In 2017 and 2018, the league featured a two-week post-season in August which included a semifinals round and a championship game. Winners of the championship are awarded the Julius Erving Championship Trophy. In addition to the playoff tournament, both weeks featured games (including a consolation game) consisting solely of teams which had been eliminated from championship contention; the results of these games determined those team's final rankings. In 2021, the championship round was held in the Bahamas in early September. Trophies and awards. Julius Erving Championship Trophy. The Trilogy took home the  Big3's inaugural championship trophy in 2017. In 2018, the league's trophy was named in honor of basketball hall of fame inductee (and current Tri-state head coach) Julius Erving. The Power were awarded the trophy in 2018. The Triplets were awarded the trophy in 2019. The Trilogy were awarded their second trophy in 2021. Player and coach awards. Annually, players in the Big3 are given an opportunity to nominate and vote for fellow players and coaches in several awards categories. The results of the Big3's awards are announced shortly before the championship game. Award categories include Most  Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, 4th Man, and Defensive Player of the Year, among others. Broadcasting. For the 2017 season, Fox Sports 1 carried the 8 weeks of the regular season and the playoffs on tape delay, while Fox broadcast the championship game live. Gus Johnson was the regular play-by-play announcer, though Brian Custer filled-in occasionally, Jim Jackson handled color commentary and Michael Rapaport was the sideline reporter. In 2018, all games were broadcast live on Friday nights, with 4 weeks of games (including the semifinals and championship) on Fox, with the remaining weeks airing on  FS1. For 2018, Custer was promoted to be the regular play-by-play announcer while Jackson and Rapaport returned. On April 4, 2019, Big3 announced a new broadcast deal with CBS Sports, under which coverage moved to CBS and CBS Sports Network. In June 2021, Big3 announced a digital media partnership with the video sharing app Triller. This includes 30 hours of live game coverage to stream at no charge within the app (including exclusive coverage of an all-star game), and figures such as Ice Cube and players maintaining presences.