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Will Birmingham join the Big3?

October 3, 2024

	Dominique Wilkins

It is reported that the Big3, a professional 3-on-3 basketball league co-founded by Ice Cube, is "in talks" to bring a team to the Magic City.

The league is in talks with two cities, Birmingham and Philadelphia. They hope to convince two pro basketball Hall of Famers to join, Dominique Wilkins for Birmingham and Julius Erving for Philadelphia.

Wilkins is currently involved in the city's professional sports scene. In June of 2023 he joined the Birmingham Legion's ownership group.

The league hopes to move from a touring format to a city-based model. The terms haven’t been finalized and negotiations may still fall through, however. City-based franchises in Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, and Detroit have been purchased and are scheduled to debut in the 2025 season.

A representative for the Big3 declined to comment on the status of the negotiations.

The Big3 began play in 2017 and is the creation of Ice Cube, popular hip-hop musician and actor, and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. 

	Big3 co-founder Ice Cube

Currently, the league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former National Basketball Association players and international players. The rules of Big3 games contain deviations from the official rules of 3-on-3 basketball as administered by FIBA. During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, players under 30 years old were not eligible to compete in the league. In 2019, the league changed the minimum age to 27 years, and in 2021 the minimum age was lowered again to 22.

The league has featured some big name coaches; Rick Barry, Gary Payton, George Gervin, Nancy Lieberman, and Julius Erving among others.

Ice Cube and business partner Jeff Kwatinetz are apparently pitching a global expansion to potential investors, citing the potential for international tours, exhibition matches, and teams.

The league is also looking to create content such as podcasts and a documentary series.

Back on March 27th, Ice Cube offered female basketball star Caitlin Clark a $5 million private contract to play in Big3, stating that she is a generational athlete who would find tremendous success in the league.

			Teams of the                            Big3
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx
	3 Headed Monsters 2017 to 2019; 2021 to 2024		3's Company 2017 to 2019; 2021 to 2024		Aliens 2019; 2021 to 2024		Ball Hogs 2017 to 2019; 2021 to 2024		Bivouac 2019; 2021 to 2024
	Enemies 2019; 2021 to 2024		Ghost Ballers 2017 to 2019; 2021 to 2024		Killer 3s 2017 to 2019; 2021 to 2024		Power 2017 to 2019; 2021 to 2024		Trilogy 2017 to 2019; 2021 to 2024
	Triplets 2019; 2021 to 2024		Tri-State 2017 to 2019; 2021 to 2024

Big3 "Fireball" ball

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Last update: October 11, 2024