Why You Need To Watch BIG3 Basketball This Season

Every basketball fan knows that empty feeling inside after the NBA Finals are over.

Watching the same old highlights Instagram influencers keep pumping out gets depressing, and the free agency drama can only carry our interest for so long. Basketball fans yearn to watch quality play during the NBA offseason: true competition, elite skill, and world-class athleticism. Finally, there’s a new solution to the summer drought.

The BIG3.

Season 3 of the BIG3 will officially begin June 22nd, 2019. The league now features many former NBA stars and fan favorites such as Gilbert Arenas, Joe Johnson, Nate Robinson, Jermaine O’Neal… and the list goes on.

Basketball Hall of Famers including Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Rick Barry, Gary Payton, George Gervin, and more have chosen head coaching jobs with the BIG3 over any other league or NCAA offers.

Now, to answer some questions. What is the BIG3, and how is it different?

The BIG3 is a 3-on-3, half-court basketball league, partnered with Adidas, that was founded by Ice Cube in 2017. There are no quarters of play- each game is played until the winning team reaches 50 points, win by 2. The shot clock is 14 seconds, and steals don’t need to be cleared (or “taken back”). Like the NBA, this league goes by 2s and 3s, except they added a 4-point shot. Located well beyond the 3pt line are (3) 4pt circles that the players must shoot in to get 4 points.

If you haven’t already seen what a 4pt game winner looks like, take a look.

While the BIG3 has brought a new dynamic to basketball, there’s an old school approach to the game. Don’t expect minimal contact fouls and drawn charges to be called. The players and coaches around the league pride themselves on creating a game that isn’t “soft.” All buckets are earned.

One aspect of the BIG3 that makes this league especially unique is that the teams don’t represent any states or cities. The league travels throughout the country from June to the Championship game on September 1st to perform in select cities including, Detroit, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, and more. Also, every team plays at each event.