Ice Cube’s Big3 Basketball League Cancels the 2020 Season

BIG3 founder Ice Cube in 2019. Photo by Ron Jenkins/BIG3 via Getty Images

Big3 basketball league is taking a break this year. According to Ice Cube, co-founder of the popular 3-on-3 competition, the league decided to cancel the 2020 season due to ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Since its inaugural season in 2017, Big3 became quite popular among the basketball fans due to the league’s innovative rules and system. It also featured a number of retired NBA stars, including Greg Oden, Stephen Jackson, Mario Chalmers, Gilbert Arenas, Joe Johnson, and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson in coach/player role.

“We tried everything in our power to give our fans a nice 2020 season, but with a long list of obstacles, we decided to shift our focus to having a great 2021 season with our fans in the stands,” said Cube in a statement. “Our goal from day one has always been to provide a remarkable experience full of top-level competition and entertainment.”

Big3 had several changes planned for 2020, like the introduction of coach challenges and lower age limit. After dropping the limit from 30 to 27 in 2019, the league intended to set the age minimum to 22 years. Also, the league intended to introduce a new sport known as FIREBALL3.

Although Big3 is quite different than conventional basketball, the league still managed to be an opportunity for some veterans to find their way back into the NBA. One of them is Joe Johnson, who landed a deal with Detroit Pistons following an MVP season in Big3.

Harley loves music and tries to go to a music festival every summer. When he's not listening to music, he writes about movies, food and wine, art, and sport.