Sources close to the league claimed that Kaepernick’s investment would allow the league to continue operating. Multiple players with the BIG3 league had been preparing for a potential shutdown, sources told The Athletic. BIG3 is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league began in 2017 and consists of 12 teams. After the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league restarted in 2021. Team Trilogy — consisting of former NBA players including Jarrett Jack and Amir Johnson, coached by Stephen Jackson — won the league last year.
Tag: Jeff Kwatinetz
The BIG3 are giving fans a new …
The BIG3 are giving fans a new opportunity to be a long-term part of the league. The league will launch Forever Experience Action Tokens (FEAT) at 11 a.m. ET on June 10, league sources told Yahoo Sports. The BIG3, a 3-on-3, halfcourt basketball league founded by Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz, already announced an ownership model that allowed the crypto community to purchase a stake in the 12 teams through NFTs. The FEATs expand these opportunities.
Big3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz …
Big3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz previously told USA TODAY Sports that he and Ice Cube, the other Big3 co-founder and hip hop mogul, remained flexible on when to launch operations both because of their extensive planning and to account for public safety. “Ice Cube and I are in the business of entertaining people,” Kwatinetz said in late March. “In times like this, they need entertainment. We have to make sure it’s safe and that the basketball is credible and really competitive. We feel like we’re able to do that.”
Kwatinetz said that he and Ice Cube, …
Kwatinetz said that he and Ice Cube, the other Big3 co-founder and hip hop mogul, are “probably just a few days away” from finalizing various logistics to ensure the tournament is broadcast globally. That includes resuming talks with potential broadcast partners, calculating the show’s budget and the tournament’s rules and schedule. Kwatinetz said he has fielded interest “far in excess” for the potential 16 players. Former NBA players will mostly represent that field, but Kwatinetz said he wants to “include at least one or two of the best female players.” Part of that hinges on the WNBA schedule. It will hold a virtual draft on April 17 and said it remains on schedule with the beginning of training camp (April 26) and the season opener (May 15). The WNBA might change its itinerary, though, depending on if it is considered safe to resume business.
None of the professional sports leagues …
None of the professional sports leagues have any certainty on when they can resume play. Not with the coronavirus outbreak growing by the day. That has not inhibited the Big3, however, from making plans for its fourth season, a pre-season tournament and even a reality show. The 3-on-3 basketball league partnered with media production company Endemal, which has produced the highly-rated reality show “Big Brother,” to create a quarantined reality show and a three-week pre-season tournament starting the first week of May. Big3 also plans to open its fourth season of its 12-team league on June 20 in Memphis. “We can’t control what happens with the virus. Nobody can control it,” Big3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz told USA TODAY Sports. “If that has to be pushed back a week or two, that’s possible. But we feel pretty good about being able to be up and running in May.”
The founders of the league — hip-hop …
The founders of the league — hip-hop icon and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz — have been having ongoing conversations with multiple TV networks since late last week to broadcast the tournament, which is expected to also garner international interest, sources said.
The preseason tournament will feature …
The preseason tournament will feature 16 to 22 players from The Big3 who are negative for the coronavirus, and they will be quarantined in Los Angeles, sources said. Former NBA standouts such as Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph and Greg Oden could participate in the tournament, but many details need to be worked out.
To assure the league is operating under …
To assure the league is operating under safe conditions, players will be quarantined in a large home provided by the league, sources said. A basketball court/facility will be built on site. If a player breaks quarantine at any point during the tournament, he would be eliminated and removed from the premises, sources said. The games and the players’ daily lives will be captured on camera for added drama and storylines. The production crew would be stationed nearby but offsite from the players.
“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.”