Ice Cube has had some interesting ideas in regards to the game of basketball over the years. His Big3 league has seen quite a bit of success and now that we don't have any sports on television, he is looking to provide fans with some much-needed entertainment. This would come in the form of a quarantine-style tournament where all of the players would be staying in the same house. The players would also be filmed in this environment which would lead to a Big Brother-style reality TV show.
During a recent episode of The Jump on ESPN, Kendrick Perkins had some interesting thoughts on the tournament, noting that he doesn't think it's a good idea.
“Right now, although we need entertainment, although we are thirsty for sports … but right now I just don't think it’s the time and I’m 100 percent against it,” Perkins said. “To me, it’s sending out a bad example of social distancing although you’re going through the proper steps, you still don't want to play with this right now because we’ve all never experienced anything like this.”
Paul Pierce went on to say that he wants to participate in the tournament which, to be honest, would make the reality show that much more fun to watch. For now, it looks like this tournament is a real possibility to stay tuned for updates on its production.
Ice Cube’s Big3 To Host Reality Show-Style Quarantine Tournament
Ice Cube has some interesting ideas for his Big3 league amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
Ice Cube understands more than anyone that sports fans need something right now. Every single sports league in the world is shut down and there is a huge gap in the market. In order to tide people over, it appears as though Ice Cube and Big3 entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz are looking to create a special tournament in April.
Both men are working with TV networks right now and it’s being reported that 16-22 players could be a part of a 3-on-3 tournament that would take place in Los Angeles. This tournament would feature players who have tested negative for the Coronavirus. To make things more interesting, the players would be placed in a quarantine house and their stay would be turned into a reality TV show. Any player who breaks quarantine would be subject to imminent dismissal from the tournament.
Ronald Martinez/BIG3 Getty Images
“As long as we can protect the players, which we will do through proper testing and quarantine, Ice cube and I feel we can give fans some safe, entertaining brand of basketball to get everyone through this pandemic,” Kwatinetz said Yahoo Sports. “Cube and I have been in the entertainment business for 30 years. This is our job. People want to be entertained with all we’re going through and enjoy our sports. We think this will help.”
It remains to be seen whether or not this will actually happen although if it does, it will certainly be some much-needed entertainment.
Ice Cube Gives BIG3 Update In Response To Coronavirus Lockdown
Ice Cube sat down with “The Breakfast Club” to speak on how the BIG3 will continue on in response to the coronavirus NBA shutdown, and he even speaks on stalking Kobe Bryant to play before his death.
Much like everything else in the world, the sports community is being heavily affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Following last week’s big announcement of the NBA shutdown, many have wondered how the disease will affect other arena sports like the BIG3 league. Thankfully, Ice Cube was able to set the record straight during his recent visit to Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club.
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While the half-hour convo touched on many topics, including his return to music, movies and his involvement in the upcoming Claressa Shields biopic Flint Strong, Cube gave some important insight into how BIG3 has been affected by coronavirus and what the future holds in terms of upcoming games. “We still doing our thing,” Cube cooly said, further adding, “we got a contingency plan, though.” He says BIG3 still plans to come to Memphis and New York when it begins on June 20, but that six games will be held at a non-arena-style location in Los Angeles to play things safe. He went on say that he’s “excited” to see the more contained set design they have planned, adding that having a plan set up like this is very important for their league since they don’t have ownership to arenas to freely make plans that could easily be canceled at the last minute by the government. “On the road, we hope that it blows over,” the seasoned rapper-turned-actor says of COVID-19 affecting plans for the BIG3 playoffs and championship moving forward, and we can only hope for the same as well.
The topic of the late Kobe Bryant’s involvement in playing in a BIG3 game also came up, with Ice Cube honestly stating, “he was the biggest fish we could catch, and he was actually done. He didn’t want to play no more.”
Watch Ice Cube’s full interview with The Breakfast Club below, where he speaks even more on Kobe, getting jacked by the All-Star game and the current state of Black cinema amongst other things:
Ice Cube Claims Big3 Deserves Credit For All-Star Game Format Success
The ending to last night's All-Star game was incredibly exciting.
Some of the NBA's best players were in Chicago last night for the annual All-Star game. In the end, Team LeBron defeated Team Giannis by only two points in what was one of the most exciting All-Star games we have ever seen. The rules for the final quarter are what ultimately made this game so entertaining. Essentially, they took the winning score after three quarters and added 24 in honor of Kobe Bryant. Whoever reached that score first, would become the winner. This also meant that the last quarter wasn't timed.
Ice Cube's league, the Big3, plays all of their matches without a timer. Whoever reaches 50 points first, wins. In light of this, Cube took to Twitter where he immediately took credit for the success of the all-star game. As he explains, without the Big3, the NBA wouldn't have been able to come up with such a great idea.
While we appreciate Cube's eagerness to take credit, it's important to point out that the NBA was playing by the Elam rule which was developed over ten years ago. This rule is used in The Basketball Tournament and various other leagues throughout the world. The Big3 technically plays by the Elam Rule although Cube seems to think otherwise.
Either way, the All-Star game was pretty amazing regardless of who deserves the credit.
Ice Cube Reveals Revolutionary New Big3 Rules: Watch
The Big3 is setting itself apart.
Ice Cube's project, the Big3, has been quite successful over the last few years thanks to a plethora of former NBA talents who have come together to create some entertaining 3-on-3 basketball. The league has television right, a large fanbase, and the backing of some very important figures. All of these elements have helped turn the Big3 into an overnight success. Heading into its next season, the Big3 is looking to make some lofty structural changes so that it can progress into something much bigger than it already is.
This past week, Ice Cube took to Twitter where he announced some of the changes fans can expect going into next season. As he explains, the league will be lowering its minimum age to 22 and will also allow for open tryouts which means fans off the street will have a chance to play with NBA-level talent.
Perhaps the most interesting new rule is how you can challenge a foul call by going one-on-one with a player. It's an interesting concept that will certainly have fans intrigued once the season rolls around. Overall, these are some pretty dope changes and we can't wait to see what the league has in store moving forward.
What do you think of these new rules?
