Ice Cube Is Starting A 3-on-3 Basketball League With Retired NBA Players

Ice Cube loves basketball, and he loves a lot of players who no longer hit the court on his television screen.

To fix this problem, he's developed a new 3-on-3 basketball league, where retired NBA players will be back to doing what they love on a major platform! However, it's RECENTLY retired, so don't expect to see Jordan or Ewing out there...

Cube has partnered with former NBA Players Association Deputy executive director Roger Mason, Jr. who is leaving his post to help build the league along with investors. The league will be made up of eight teams with five players, so each team will have 2 backup players. An ex-player will coach every team as well, and the first to sign on is Gary Payton.

"I thought of this concept as a fan who got sick of seeing his heroes retire and not play anymore," Cube told The Vertical. He continued:

"A lot of these guys can still play once they retire – just not the back-to-backs or four games in five nights. I started to look at three-on-three basketball and wondered, ‘Why isn’t this played on a pro level?’ It’s the most normal form of basketball. And from there it was like, ‘Yo, why don’t we make this happen? Not only do we get a chance to see these guys keep playing, but we give guys who retired who still got some game – who don’t want to pick up a [microphone] on TV and who don’t want to go overseas to play … some of these guys still want a stage to play on."

BIG3 is also looking into have a festival-type element where they will tour the country with games, musical artists and more. As for the main games, they will be played in the summer, and they're currently working to secure a television deal.