Ice Cube, veteran entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz and BIG3 commissioner Roger Mason Jr. launched the league in January amid skepticism.
Rashard Lewis walked into a conference room at a downtown Seattle hotel, sat next to Ice Cube and thanked the rapper and actor for luring him out of retirement and back onto the basketball court.
“I felt like there’s a lot of guys like me that still want to see guys like Rashard play and still do their thing,” said Ice Cube, the co-founder of the BIG3, a 3-on-3 basketball league comprised of retired NBA players. “A lot of these guys are done when they retire and don’t want to pick up another basketball. But most of them are not done. They still want to play and they don’t have to play in the NBA, they just want to play against their peers.
“To me it was great to create a stage for guys we still want to see play, guys who want to play, guys who have the passion. I feel more like Walt Disney with what I’m doing more than a mid-life crisis thing. I’m trying to just bring something different to the world of sports.”
About the BIG3
Where: KeyArena
When: 2 p.m. Sunday, doors open at 1.
Format: Teams play 3-on-3 halfcourt. The first team to 50 points wins, with a two-point margin of victory. There is a seven-minute halftime when one team reaches 25.
Teams: Eight teams are comprised of five former NBA players over the age of 30.
Compensation: Players receive $100,000 for the season.
Season: Week 9 of a 10-date season that began June 25 in Brooklyn, NY. Two playoff games between the league’s top four teams will be played Sunday and preceded by a pair of exhibition games between the four teams at the bottom of the standings. The championship game will be held Aug. 26 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Tickets: On sale at Ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $37-$100 for a single ticket.
Television: Fox Sports 1 airs a highlight show 5 p.m. Monday. The Aug. 26 championship game will be televised live at 1:30 p.m. PT on Fox.
Special rules: There are three 4-point circles situated beyond the normal 3-point line. There is a 14-second shot clock. Hand checking is allowed and players cannot foul out.
Notable players: Rashard Lewis, Reggie Evans, Brian Scalabrine, Chauncey Billups, Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O’Neal, Mike Bibby, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Kenyon Martin and Cuttino Mobley.
Notable coaches: Gary Payton, Julius ‘Dr.J’ Erving, Allen Iverson, Clyde Drexler, George Gervin and Charles Oakley.
Percy Allen
Ice Cube, born O’Shea Jackson, burst on the entertainment scene in 1987 as a member of the rap group N.W.A.
The 48-year-old Los Angeles native has released nine solo albums and starred in more than three dozen films, but said he’s never worked as hard on any venture than his fledgling basketball league he created with co-founder and veteran entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz.
Ice Cube toyed with the 3-on-3 basketball idea for a few years, but put plans in motion last year after watching Lakers star Kobe Bryant, one of his favorite players, score 60 points in his final NBA game.
About nine months later, Ice Cube, Kwatinetz and BIG3 commissioner Roger Mason Jr. launched the league in January amid skepticism.
“Everybody from sponsors to broadcasters said, ‘dude we’ve spent our money for 2017,’ ” Ice Cube said. “We don’t have the budget for this. … We had to fight through all of that, of a wave of people saying do it next year. And we’re like no. We got to do it this year because next year is going to be too late.”
Once Ice Cube and Kwatinetz landed a television deal with Fox Sports 1, which airs a one-hour highlights show at 5 p.m. PT Mondays, the biggest challenge was convincing players like Lewis to participate.
“For me, it was a no-brainer and I was on board from the get-go,” said Lewis, a former 17-year NBA star who played his first nine seasons for the Seattle Sonics.
“I was in full daddy mode raising my kids (in Houston), but when Roger explained what they wanted to do, I knew I wanted in,” Lewis said. “Honestly, it’s the best summer job I’ve ever had.”
Lewis, a 38-year-old 6-foot-10 forward, led the league in scoring with a 21.3 scoring average for 3 Headed Monsters (6-2), which faces Power (4-4) in Sunday’s playoff semifinal at KeyArena.
Trilogy (8-0), which is led in scoring by Rashad McCants and Al Harrington, faces Ghost (4-4) in the other semis.
For Lewis and former Sonics teammate Reggie Evans, who led the league in rebounding for Killer 3s, it’ll be their first time playing in Seattle since the Sonics’ final season in 2008.
“I’m going to get the chills walking in there,” Lewis said. “I’ve been excited about this game ever since they made the schedule. I’ve been looking forward to it and excited about it because I grew from a kid to a man here.
“I came out of high school and was a teenager out here. I learned how to live on my own. Learned how to feed myself. … So it feels like Seattle is my second home and will always be a special place in my heart. I learned a lot here, not just in the NBA but in life in general.”
Lewis figures to be a crowd favorite Sunday along with former Sonics great Gary Payton, a coach for the 3 Headed Monsters squad, and former Enumclaw High standout Brian Scalabrine.
The games, which are played on a half court, also feature Chauncey Billups, Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O’Neal and Mike Bibby. Notable coaches include Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving, Clyde Drexler, George Gervin and Charles Oakley.
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The BIG3 drew 15,177 fans at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center its first week and has averaged about 7,000 over the past seven weeks while barnstorming across the country.
Still, Ice Cube admits there have been challenges.
Games were shortened and other rules were tweaked after the first week. Jason Williams and Corey Maggette, two of the league’s stars, suffered season-ending injuries in their BIG3 debuts, which fanned criticism of a league built on past-their-prime superstars.
Basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson had been one of the league’s biggest attractions and fans flocked to see the former Philadelphia 76ers great.
The 42-year-old Iverson competed in the first three games before withdrawing from competition and failed to make a Week 6 appearance in Dallas on July 30.
Nearing the end of a 10-week journey, Ice Cube said the league has successful and looks forward to next year. He hopes to attract players such as Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Richart Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Gilbert Arenas and Nate Robinson. Bryant has also been hinted as a possible addition.
“When we started, most people had the eyebrow raised like what the hell and I don’t know about this,” Cube said. “It’s extremely hard to create, promote and market a league at the same time. But we did it.
“We got a lot of momentum and progress this year that’s going to set the foundation for years to come.”