Ice Cube's popular three-on-three basketball league, BIG3, is taking root. Since its inception in 2017, the 12-team league featuring former NBA players and international players has taken the country by storm, setting up shop in cities and playing a series of games, with last year's contests ranging from Chicago, Dallas, Brooklyn , Memphis, Miami, Boston, Charlotte and Detroit.
In May, BIG3 CEO Cube announced plans to shift to a more traditional city-based model, writing on Instagram, “We need to plant our roots in the cities so we can be more than just a rolling all-star game. It's really about growing the sport and the league.” The league sold its first franchise in Los Angeles in May 10 million dollars to a group of investors led by DCB Sports.
In June the league welcomed a franchise in Miami (also worth $10 million), and on Thursday (July 4), the BIG3 announced that entrepreneurs Eric Mullins and Milton Carroll had bought the rights to a team in Houston. These three teams will join a group of teams with colorful names including Ghost Ballers, 3 Headed Monsters, 3's Company, Aliens, Ball Hogs, Bivouac, Enemies, Killer 3s, Power, Tri-State, Trilogy and Triplets.
The 2024 BIG3 season gets underway this weekend, with six games scheduled for Sunday (July 7) in Newark, NJ at the Prudential Center, followed by weekend contests in Anaheim (July 14), Portland (July 20), Cincinnati (July 28 July), San Antonio (August 4), Nashville (August 11) and Boston (August 18). In March, Cube offered college superstar Caitlin Clark $5 million to join the BIG3, though she opted to sign a four-year, $338,000 contract with the WNBA's Indiana Fever.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/ice-cube-big3-basketball-league-expansion-new-teams-miami-houston-1235725210/