Charlotte's Spectrum Center, the second stop of the BIG3's 10-city tour this summer, was "crammed full of 10,651 people" for Sunday's event, according to Jodie Valade of USA TODAY. The BIG3 adjusted its rulebook after the first week, playing all games "on a first-to-50 basis instead of first-to-60 employed in the league’s debut." That affair "lasted 5-1/2 hours and made whittling down footage for television the next day a nightmare." Sunday was a "more manageable 3-1/2 hours." Players had to "remind referees" of the new rule change in the first of the four games played. Among the celebrities in attendance were LL Cool J, making his second straight appearance, and former NFLer Steve Smith. BIG3 co-Founder Ice Cube "popped into the arena at halftime of the final game." Basketball HOFer and BIG3 coach Clyde Drexler said, "This is better than the NBA. This is more fun because we’re older and we can enjoy it more." He added, "We look at the BIG3 as an extension of the NBA and we can still have fun. That’s what makes it so great" (USA TODAY, 7/3). In Charlotte, C Jackson Cowart notes a "sizable crop of the league’s players are on the wrong side of 40, and over half of the team names are puns derived from the league’s 3-on-3 format." The BIG3 "resembles an impromptu tour of eight bands whose aging musicians are learning the set music on the road." But they are "still rock stars, and the personalities alone are worth the price of admission." Former NBAer Kenyon Martin said that players "voiced their concerns" about the length of games "in a conference call after the opening games." For a league "in its infancy, adaptation is key." Martin: "There’s gonna be some bumps, but it’s gonna be good for years to come" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 7/3).
