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Leagues and Governing Bodies

Big3 Begins Second Season Ready To Grow League's Popularity

Some Big3 games will be televised live this season after being tape-delayed last yearGETTY IMAGES

The Big3 begins its second season Friday at the Toyota Center, and it opens "with high hopes," according to Jerome Solomon of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Since the league began in '17, fans "have bought into it." The Big3 "isn’t an NBA competitor," but in some ways, the entertainment value is a "close match." Players are "far more skilled than the average dribbler," and the league is "striking at the right time." Three-on-three basketball will make its Olympic debut at the '20 Tokyo Games, and it is "likely to be one of the most popular new competitions." Games being televised live this season on FS1 is an "indicator of the league’s potential impact." If that "doesn’t tell you this is real, Las Vegas sports books putting odds on the championship is a hint and a half that this is no joke." Starting the season in Houston, which "wasn’t one of the cities" the Big3 played in last year, is part of a "hoped-for expansion [league co-Founder] Ice Cube says should be a 12-team league that plays twice a week" in '19 (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 6/22).

TURNING IT UP A NOTCH: FS1 Big3 analyst Jim Jackson said that he "expects a higher quality of play this year" with the the league having "overcome, he believes, some initial trepidation about how competitive and how serious the nature of play would be in its first season." Jackson said,  "A lot of people were asking if this was a gimmick league. Once they saw it on TV or in person, they were convinced, and that is why you nave some bigger names like Nate Robinson, Baron Davis, Amar'e Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer involved." He added, "That's a credit to the guys who set the foundation last year, and this year will be more competitive because guys now understand how to play the game. The best teams will be the ones that combine outside shooting with that physical nature to beat you inside" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 6/22).

KEEPING THE PEACE: USA TODAY's Josh Peter noted when former NBAer Metta World Peace makes his Big3 debut on Friday, he "will play under his given name, Ron Artest." He said, "Ice Cube wanted to do it. I don't know why. He just asked me. I was like, 'No worries.'" Ice Cube said of the decision, "Turn back the clock a little bit, you know? Three-on-three is a grown man's game, you know? Strong ball versus long ball, so, Ron Artest." World Peace "legally changed his name" from Ron Artest in September '11 (USATODAY.com, 6/21).

THE WAITING GAME: Ice Cube said many companies "don't want to help you in your first year." He said, "They want to wait for you to make it three whole years. ... Nobody wants to help you year one. Everybody says, ‘Make it to year three and we'll just buy you.’ Here we are, the Big 3 with some of the greatest names in the world and so we think it's a no-brainer. It's just convincing some CMOs out there that it's a no-brainer too” (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 6/22).

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