The structural shift in the Big3 format brings the 3-to-3 basketball circuit founded by Ice Cube this summer.
Teams will each represent cities as the league moves to location-based models in their eighth season. The team represents Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Miami, Washington, DC, and represents YEP! – LA
The Los Angeles team is called Riot. The coach will be former former Lakers and Clippers guard Nick Young (aka Swaggy P), whose Southland roots run as deep as the ice cube roots. Young appeared on USC and Reseda Cleveland High, then embarked on a 12-year NBA career that included a relentless trail of shooting, a few assists, a lively quote and heartfelt laughter.
Young people are often riots.
“I’m very excited,” Young told The Times. “Now we are the third best team in LA. We’ll be second soon. We’ll have to win some championships. It’s fun. Please support us this summer.
However, Ice Cube realizes that not everyone thinks that the team’s name is a laughing matter. His album, “The Predator,” released in November 1992, was a pointy hip-hop response to LA Riots after four police officers were acquitted by a ju umpire in Shimi Valley six months ago despite four policemen getting caught up in a video of Rodney King.
In an email to the Times, Ice Cube said it supports the team name that the new owner came up with.
“They chose the name La Riot because they represent Los Angeles’ resilience, passion and unbreakable spirit,” Ice Cube said. “The city is based on energy, culture and a willingness to challenge the status quo, like Big3.
“The name embodies the disruptive nature of the league, the competitive grit of the team, and the deep connections with those who make up LA’s rich, eclectic and passionate community.
Ice Cube was a member of the groundbreaking Compton-based rap group NWA along with Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, Mc Ren, and Founder Eazy-E. He transformed from a hip-hop musician to mainstream film and television actor, director and producer, and lives in LA with his 33-year-old wife, Kimberly Woodruff.
He has also been a league executive since 2017 after creating Big3. This plays a short season of the weekly game involving all teams in a particular location. For example, Riot hosts a day of three or four games, and plays the rest of the season on the road for the rest of the two months.
Coach is the league’s biggest name, with Young being Nysmith Hall of Fame Gary Payton (Boston Ball Hogs), Michael Cooper (Miami 305), George Gelvin (Detroit Amp), Calvin Murfin (Houston Rig Hand), Nancy Lieberman (Dallas Power) – the only female head coach team. Stephen Jackson coached the DMV trilogy, and Chicago’s triplet has not yet hired a coach. The Big3 Commissioner is Hall of Fame Clyde Drexler.
The roster will be filled during the Big 3 draft in May. Many Big 3 Veterans have played in the NBA for over 10 years, becoming a little younger than the PGA Tour champions, for example, over 50. The roster is full of ballers that have the best days behind them, but can shine in a half-court style.
That’s what the 55-year-old Ice Cube has been assuming from day one, but he doesn’t adopt a marketing savvy to raise awareness. Prior to last year’s WNBA draft, he offered Caitlin Clark $10 million to play for Big 3 in two seasons. This is a salary structure in which most players pay $10,000 per game for seven-game seasons.
Big3 introduced rules and concepts to make the game fan-friendly. The winner is the first team with 50 points. The 3-point line is the same distance as the NBA, but longer shots count as 4 points. A foul can be challenged with the “fire-producing” rule in half, each one for two players to determine its effectiveness.
Ice Cube hopes the LA fan base will enjoy a thorough look at basketball and spectacle.
“LA has one of the richest grassroots basketball history in the world, from legendary leagues like Drew to professional dynasties in the city,” he said. “The LA team plans to leverage its legacy to create an all-day celebration that feels like a true neighborhood block party. They plan to build a community vendor, artist, performer, or real Los Angeles-based programming from court to concourse, which is affiliated with local nonprofits.
Ice Cube founded Big3 with longtime collaborator, media and talent manager Jeff Kwatinetz. After seven years of teams are not in the city, Big3 moves to a location-based model to build fan loyalty and sells franchises to local owners.
It costs $10 million and has sold four franchises so far. This includes La Riote by Shawn Horwitz, co-founder and CEO of Palm Drive Associates, a private equity firm focused on real estate and sports ownership.
“As a lifelong basketball fan and entrepreneur, I have seen an incredible opportunity to bring the excitement of the Big Three to Los Angeles, which is one of the greatest basketball cities in the world,” Horwitz said in a statement. “This franchise isn’t just about gaming. It offers our community, culture and fans a new way to experience the sport they love.”
The season is scheduled to begin on June 14th and will last for two months and be part of a two-week playoff. The Ice Cube is already looking ahead.
“The energy of basketball in these cities is unparalleled and we’ve seen firsthand the power of our fanbase,” Ice Cube said. “The transition to a full city-based model this season is another marker of the league’s continued exponential growth, and fans can expect a more talent pool and more competitive game game than ever before.”
The next step is to go international.
“We played in London, Toronto and the Bahamas last season, but we’re still focused on cities like London and Toronto for additional franchises,” Ice Cube said. “We have signed a partnership with the Australian NBL and will be introducing the game in November.
“The best case scenario for us is to continue growing gaming styles and run many Big3 leagues that run all year round in different countries around the world.”
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