Tag: Ice Cube

“As long as we can protect the players, …

“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 told 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.”

The Big 3 is already changing its schedule because of the coronavirus

This is how you get ahead of things.

The Big 3 basketball season doesn’t start for another three months, but it’s safe to assume that being proactive is better than being reactive in the middle of a global pandemic.

That’s why the Big 3 is already adjusting its schedule because of the coronavirus. They’re attempting to create as safe an environment as possible for players to play in while still allowing fans to watch the games.

For six weeks starting from July 11 to August 15, the league will play all of its games in a controlled “non-arena” venue out of Los Angeles every Saturday.

No idea what a non-arena venue is, but if it keeps people safer? Cool.

The odd part is that they’ll keep the first two weekends of June 20 and 27 as well as the playoffs on August 22 on the road and open to the public. They already sold tickets for those dates.

The LA venue is being used as a contingency plan for those dates if things get worse — hopefully, by then, they’re not.

It’s a tough position to be in as an upstart league — they’ve got to make money to keep the thing going but also have to keep fans and players safe. It’s not a position I envy at all.

Hopefully, by then, there’s a better understanding of this virus and how to get rid of it.

Former Michigan State star Zach Randolph to suit up in Ice Cube’s Big3 league

The former Michigan State and NBA star won’t be out of professional basketball long.

Zach Randolph may not be playing in the NBA anymore, but Z-Bo is still out there hoopin’.

Randolph, a member of Michigan State’s 2001 Final Four team, will be playing professional basketball this year as a member of Ice Cube’s Big3 league. Randolph, who retired from the NBA upon the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, will serve as a team captain for team Trilogy, according to a press release from the league.

Yahoo’s Chris Haynes first reported the news.

Randolph averaged 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game over 33 games during his one season at Michigan State.

From there he went on to have a long and successful career in the NBA. Randolph averaged 16.6 points and 9.1 rebounds and made two All-Star teams during his 17-year career. He is most known for his presence during the Memphis Grizzlies “Grit ‘n Grind” era in the mid 2010s, but also played for the Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks, Sacremento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers in his career.

The Big 3 season will kick off on June 20 in Memphis, Tennessee.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1363]

The same month that Stern’s words went …

The same month that Stern’s words went public, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed CBD from its prohibited substance list. In June 2018, the BIG3, the three-on-three basketball league led by Ice Cube that features Harrington and other former NBA players, became the first American pro sports league to do the same. Roughly 18 months later, in January, Stern passed away after a brain hemorrhage. On the phone, Harrington’s voice trembled talking about it. “For the last two years, I kept saying, ‘I gotta go back to New York to run stuff by (Stern),’” Harrington said. “Unfortunately, there is no next time. Which sucks.”

Ice Cube to co-star in Claressa Shields biopic ‘Flint Strong’

Hip Hop legend Ice Cube will co-star in the upcoming biopic about three-division women’s titleholder Claressa Shields.

Claressa Shields has won world titles in three divisions and two Olympic gold medals, all before the age of 25. What more can the self-styled Greatest Woman of All Time (GWOAT) ask for? Well, how about a Hollywood movie?

Shields is the subject of “Flint Strong,” a Universal Pictures-backed biopic of her life as a 17-year-old Flint, Michigan native who goes on to make history as the first American woman to win a gold medal in Olympic boxing. Shields medalled at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio games.

In the film’s latest development, hip hop luminary Ice Cube has signed on to join the cast as Shield’s trainer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Shields is played by Ryan Destiny, best known for her role in the Fox musical drama “Star.”

The film boasts some strong names on the creative end. The screenplay is penned by acclaimed Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight,” “If Beale Street Could Talk“). Rachel Morrison, the Academy Award-nominated Director of Photography for “Black Panther,” will make her directorial debut on the film.

Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) unified two 154-pound titles in January, when she defeated Ivana Habazin by a wide unanimous decision. She has also won titles at super middleweight and middleweight.

 

When are you going to convince Kobe …

When are you going to convince Kobe Bryant to give the league a shot? Ice Cube: I’ve asked him, and he said he was done. I believe him. I’m not going to harass the man; if he’s done, I don’t want him in the Big3. I only want you in the Big3 if you still got that chip on your shoulder; if you still want to play and show people that you’re the best.