Ice Cube believes NBA is submarining BIG3
Rapper, actor, and producer Ice Cube sees the tangible progress in the BIG3 but he wants the league to garner more attention, more respect, and more regard among professional sports.
The 3-on-3 basketball league just spent a successful weekend in Boston, drawing a season-high 11,255 fans to TD Garden. But he’s left wanting more, wanting the opportunity to showcase the basketball league, filled with former NBA players, that it can be a premier summer sport.
“It’s definitely prideful because people like the league and people are invested into the league and really started to invest in teams and players,” Ice
Cube told the Globe. “That’s what’s great. It’s not for me. If this was just for me, I would have had these guys in the gym and it would be a lot cheaper for me to do it.
“This is something I want to do for sports. And for basketball fans to see it connecting, that’s the dream come true, that people are enjoying the league and the competition and it’s something cool for the summer until football season starts again.”
The league, however, faces obstacles because Ice Cube believes the NBA views the BIG3 as a rival and has encouraged sponsors and major networks such as ESPN to disregard the league, making it more difficult to flourish.
It’s difficult to find BIG3 highlights or scores on television, as if the league doesn’t exist. Ice Cube has an issue with the lack of acknowledgment in a league with Julius Erving, Lisa Leslie, Gary Payton, and Rick Barry as coaches, and players such as Joe Johnson, Jason Richardson, and Michael Beasley.
Ice Cube said the lack of media coverage and sponsorship “is our biggest obstacle; this is the biggest thing that is holding the league from reaching higher success.
“They can’t stop us but they can hinder us, slow our growth down. They could poison our sponsors or scare sponsors,” he said. “Tell other media outlets to not cover us if they want to cover the NBA. Advising networks not to play us if they’re NBA networks. These kind of things hinder the growth of the league but it hasn’t stopped the growth of the league because people want it. And at the end of the day, when people want something, [there’s] nothing the mainstream can really do to stop it. It’s going to happen.”'
Ice Cube said the lack of respect and recognition is reminiscent of his days in the controversial rap group N.W.A., which achieved superstardom with their contentious lyrics and subject matter. Ice Cube eventually turned into a platinum-selling solo artist in addition to being an accomplished actor and director.
“Without a doubt, this reminds me of first breaking out with N.W.A.,” he said. “The mainstream really didn’t want the record to get traction and they couldn’t do nothing to stop it because the people wanted it. There’s a lot of parallels between what I’m doing with the sports and the BIG3 and the gatekeepers who are trying to keep it from reaching its full potential.”
Ice Cube has discussed “gatekeepers” often recently, and believes there are powers trying to curtail the league’s success and also have issue with his outspokenness on social issues.
“I just know when things don’t make sense, there’s a reason why it’s not making sense,” he said. “And it’s usually something a person behind the scenario that’s making it not make sense. I don’t know what goes on at ESPN, why they will not acknowledge the league in any way, shape or form. But it’s happening.
“Our ratings are better than MLS, and some Major League Baseball games. People want the league. People are interested in the league. Our ratings are better than NHL and those leagues are covered. The WNBA is covered but not the BIG3. We have star power that can really, I would say, match most leagues that’s out there. It’s not like we’ve got chopped liver out there.
“[ESPN] got drone races. They do everything but the BIG3. I just know it’s not happening. It’s not a coincidence.”
In 2020, Ice Cube developed a “Contract for Black America” and approached both major political parties to discuss their eventual plans for Black America. He was criticized for meeting with then presidential candidate Donald Trump about his plan. He said JoeBiden’s campaign told him they’d meet after the 2020 election. That meeting never occurred.
Ice Cube also has received recent criticism after granting an interview to controversial right wing talk show host Tucker Carlson, and giving him a tour of the neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles. Cube said he is open to meeting with various voices to discuss the Black agenda. He said his quest is to help improve conditions in the Black community.
“Criticism shouldn’t stop you from doing the right thing if you feel that it’s right,” he said. “I understand that when you don’t do what people want you to do, they attack you. And I’m fine with that. That’s really their problem. That’s not my problem.
“If you’ve got a problem with me and what I do, it’s not my problem. I just stick with what I know I can be effective doing. I’m not trying to be a politician in any way, shape or form. I just want to help. I want to help people that I believe I can. Influence people that I have privy to. If I can talk to somebody and get them to do something for people, then why shouldn’t I? Just because some people are going to criticize it?
“We have to get thicker skin and not worry so much about what our critics have to say, a nd do what we feel in our heart. Sometimes they’ll see the light months afterward, years afterward. They see what you was really trying to do. But just because they can’t see what you’re trying to do and they don’t understand it and they criticize it, that definitely don’t mean you should stop. I’m just trying to do whatever I can, as fast as I can, as long as I can. That’s it.”
As for the BIG3, Ice Cube said he has several players targeted that could boost the league’s popularity. He even has plans for a team in London.
“I’d love Boogie Cousins, Dwight Howard, Isaiah Thomas, Jamal Crawford, these are people that I would love to see in the league,” he said. “We’ll see if they’ll play. LaMarcus Aldridge is out there but you’ve got to be ready to play. It’s not as easy as the NBA. I’m not saying the NBA is easy because they’ve got to play 82 games or more. I’m saying you’re not going to get those ticky-tack calls you would get in the NBA. You’ve got to be ready to play physical.
“It’s called the BIG3, not the Little3. We want that name to mean something. You’ve got to be ready to come in and play physical.”