I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Ice Cube has co-founded a professional 3-on-3 basketball that is now in its third season. The third season of the BIG3 is halfway over and has had no shortage of highlight worthy action week in and week out. By way of a one-year deal with CBS, fans have been able to watch BIG3 games live if they are unable to attend in person. If you haven’t tuned in, here are three big reasons why you need to get with the program.
Reason #1: The BIG3 is a players league. With no owners or front office positions on the team level, the players have complete autonomy. With that comes the ability to make roster moves – quickly. The structure of the BIG3 also omits the politics that often accompany professional sports. Look no further than the flurry of off-court transactions this past week alone as evidence of that fact. With such a short season, there is no room to lag when it comes to roster adjustments.
Reason #2: Star power is in abundance in the BIG3. If you’re looking for washed up ballers that have been relegated to the rec league, look elsewhere. The BIG3 is chockfull of former NBA and semi-pro basketball players still in great shape with many that could still play in the NBA today. Amar’e Stoudemire, Will Bynum, and others have had several pro teams calling for workouts. These players may no longer be in the league but that competitive fire has not been extinguished. Highlight worthy basketball is being played every week. Throw in the fact that the coaching roster is full of Naismith Hall of Famers such as Dr. J, Lisa Leslie, Nancy Lieberman, and Gary Payton to name a few, and you begin to wonder how have you NOT tuned in earlier?
Reason 3: The suspense! Going into week 7, every single game is that much more important. The Triplets, an expansion team in its first year, sit atop the standings with defending champion Power. The Triplets are 5-1 with Power at 4-1 after a bye week. The Killer 3’s sit in third place; only one game back. There are seven teams two games behind the leaders and there’s a bevy of big games coming up this weekend. Power faces the Enemies with both teams coming off a bye while the Killer 3’s will try to bounce back from last week’s loss as they face Bivouac. Another important game will be the Triplets against the 3 Headed Monsters who desperately need a win to stay in the playoff hunt.
Week 7 tips off Saturday at 1:00PM EDT and the first two games will be broadcast on CBS with the third being shown on CBS Sports Network.
