by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
March 28, 2025
‘Transitioning to a full city-based model for this season is another marker of the league’s continued exponential growth,’ Ice Cube said.
Ice Cube has announced that his professional 3-on-3 basketball league, BIG3, will be location-based this season.
Tip-off is June 14, 2025.
The league, which started in 2017, was founded by Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. It became a league for mostly former NBA players (Joe Johnson, Greg Oden) to participate in their sport without the rigors of the full-court 5-player teams.
Although the games were played throughout the country, each team, typically coached by legendary basketball players, was not connected to a city. Games were played in the same arenas throughout the BIG3 season.
The eight-team league will now represent teams from Boston, Chicago,.Dallas, Detroit, the DMV metropolitan area (Maryland, District of Columbia, and Virginia); Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami.
There are plans to possibly add four more teams next year, Ice Cube said in a statement.
Season 8!!! It’s #SummerInTheCity tune in as we unveil new teams, fresh cities, superstar players, and more. Don’t miss the action—stay tuned for the biggest season yet! @icecube @Jeffkwatinetz pic.twitter.com/w0kxZxHId5
— BIG3 (@thebig3) March 26, 2025
“This is a landmark moment in our league,” Ice Cube in a written statement. “These cities have shown up for us year after year, and we are honored to represent and reward those fans with a new franchise of their own. The basketball energy in these cities is unmatched, and we’ve seen first-hand the power of their fanbases.
“Transitioning to a full city-based model for this season is another marker of the league’s continued exponential growth, and fans can expect an increased talent pool and a more competitive style of game than ever before.”
The teams are listed below with their head coaches:
Boston Ball Hogs – Gary Payton
Chicago Triplets – To Be Announced
Dallas Power – Nancy Lieberman
Detroit Amplifiers – George Gervin
DMV Trilogy – Stephen Jackson
Houston Rig Hands – Calvin Murphy
Los Angeles Riot – Nick Young
Miami 305 – Michael Cooper
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