Tim Reynolds: Joe Johnson says if @thebig3 returns this summer, he’ll play.
NBA Rumor: Big3 Signings
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Rachel Nichols: So @PaulPierce34 says he may want in on @TheBig3’s plan to quarantine 16 healthy players in a house, film them Big Brother-style, and have them compete for a seven-figure cash prize. @KendrickPerkins tries to talk him out of it 😂 cc: @IceCube
Zach Randolph to play in the Big3
Chris Haynes: Former NBA star Zach Randolph — aka Z-Bo — reaches agreement to play in @thebig3 for Trilogy led by new head coach @DaTrillStak5 , league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
Zach Randolph to play in the Big3
Chris Haynes: Former NBA star Zach Randolph — aka Z-Bo — reaches agreement to play in @thebig3 for Trilogy led by new head coach @DaTrillStak5 , league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
Marc J. Spears: Former NBA big man @Marreese Speights will be joining @thebig3 Bivouac as a co-captain and a player, sources said.
Eric Woodyard: Ex-NBA players Josh Smith, Nate Robinson are among those that have re-signed and are slated to return for the upcoming 2020 BIG3 season. This leaves only 7 total captain and co-captain slots available which could be filled within the coming days, a source tells ESPN.
Marc J. Spears: The members of the reigning @thebig3 champion Triplets will all return for the 2020 season, per source. The Triplets were led by 2019 Big3 MVP Joe Johnson and 2019 Coach of the Year Lisa Leslie. Al Jefferson, Alan Anderson, Jannero Pargo, Jamario Moon, Sergerio Gipson also back.
Chris Haynes: Yahoo Sources: Joe Johnson — the reigning MVP — is returning to @thebig3 for the 2020 season to defend the Triplets’ championship.
When are you going to convince Kobe Bryant to give the league a shot? Ice Cube: I’ve asked him, and he said he was done. I believe him. I’m not going to harass the man; if he’s done, I don’t want him in the Big3. I only want you in the Big3 if you still got that chip on your shoulder; if you still want to play and show people that you’re the best.
Another professional league in the U.S., Ice Cube’s Big 3, would express interest in signing Anthony, although there doesn’t yet appear to be any dialogue between the two sides. The Big 3 has increasingly become a platform for veteran former NBA players, such as Joe Johnson.
Chris Haynes: Trilogy are waiving center Patrick O’Bryant (9th pick in 2006 NBA Draft) and acquiring forward Samardo Samuels, @TheBig3 sources tell Yahoo Sports.
Johnson, aka Iso Joe, has been tearing up the BIG3 this summer. The seven-time NBA All-Star has migrated his game to three-on-three basketball, and it’s paying big dividends. Johnson leads the league—filled with former NBA pros—in points and assists, while also coming up second in rebounds (and first in four pointers!) But amidst his success, Johnson still isn’t sure he’s found his second career. “I’m not sure about the longevity in it for me,” Johnson told The Crossover when asked about his future in the BIG3. “I got two kids. I have a son that’s 12 and a daughter that’s five. The summer is obviously our down time for us to spend a lot of time together. I’m not sure—I can’t promise you I’ll definitely be back next season or the year after that. I don’t really know.”
Ice Cube’s BIG3 league is missing out on a major ex-NBA talent who says the league needs to give him a look ASAP … like YESTERDAY, because he’s SURE he has enough game left to compete. The man is Isaiah Rider … who averaged 16.7 ppg over 9 NBA seasons — a serious player — and told us he feels like he’s not getting a fair shake at continuing his hoops legacy in the BIG3. “I been in the draft the last three years … They know I’m available, it’s a buddy league. One of my buddies need to pick me up and stop playing.”
Alex Kennedy: Mario Chalmers is joining @TheBIG3, according to sources. @IceCube’s league has also landed Joe Johnson, Gilbert Arenas, Josh Smith, Al Jefferson, Lamar Odom, Stromile Swift, Kendrick Perkins, Greg Oden and more as they enter season three.
TheBig3: SPLASH ALERT💦💦💦 7x NBA All-Star Joe Johnson (@joejohnson247) has signed to play in the BIG3! #BIG3Basketball #BIG3Season3
BIG3: SPLASH ALERT 💦💦💦 Former second overall pick, Stromile Swift, is joining the Draft Pool for #BIG3Season3
Gilbert Arenas signs with Big3
BIG3: SPLASH ALERT💦💦💦 Gilbert Arenas has signed to play in the BIG3! #Agent0 #BIG3Season3
Ryan Ward: It’s official! Former #Lakers star and 2x #NBA champ, Lamar Odom (@Lamar Odom), has joined the #BIG3 (@thebig3). pic.twitter.com/Vd1uceeKeG
SPLASH ALERT 💦💦💦 Steve Blake (@SteveBlake5), hard-nosed 13-year NBA vet, has joined the BIG3 Draft Pool for #BIG3Season3
Alex Kennedy: Source: Two-time NBA champion Shannon Brown has signed in @TheBIG3. The 33-year-old played for the Lakers, Suns, Cavs, Bobcats, Knicks, Spurs, Bulls and Heat during his 9-year NBA career. The BIG3 just added Kendrick Perkins too. I’m told more players will be announced next week.
The Big3 league will expand to 12 teams and play two days a week, an increase from its Friday night slate last season. The plan is for six teams to play in one city and six in another during an 18-city tour. The minimum age for a player has been lowered to 27, and the league is expected to target former Celtic Jared Sullinger.
Harrison Wind: Kenyon Martin says he’s not playing in the BIG3 this summer but will still be a part of it because he doesn’t want to risk injury/rehab: “Rashard Lewis ruptured his Achilles last year. Mike James fractured his kneecap. I’m like f— that…I’m not trying to rehab.” pic.twitter.com/sUJS2NcyoU
Lamar Odom: You all know, my body has been through allot these years but I have been cleared healthy by my doctors to play again.
Ryan Ward: Former #Lakers forward Lamar Odom (@RealLamarOdom) told me today he’s joining the #BIG3 League (@thebig3).
Jeff Garcia: BIG3 Clyde Drexler said the league will “stalk” Manu Ginobili if he retires. Says the BIG3 is perfect for Manu. #GoSpursGo #Spurs #Nba
Mamba’s reps told TMZ Sports he had no plans to play in the BIG3, this after a league honcho said he had on a “credible source” that Kobe was considering it. We got Baby (a BIG3 player) out in L.A. and asked him if he thinks Kobe made the wrong choice, and he clearly DOESN’T, saying Kobe has accomplished so much he doesn’t need roundball anymore.
A day after Ice Cube’s Big 3 business partner temporarily lit the world on fire with a comment on a conference call about Kobe Bryant coming to the Big 3 (which was later clarified to not be a thing that is happening), the Big 3 founder appeared on Outside the Lines where he confirmed one thing. He has not given up on Kobe. “To me he’s the biggest name out there for us to get and he’s going to have to get a restraining order on me to leave him alone about this,” Ice Cube said.
So how does one get Kobe Bryant to join your basketball league? “I think we just keep doing what we doing putting on great basketball and I think we have a lot of retired players looking at our league and they want a piece of this,” Ice Cube said. “And we’ve got a lot of players that are at the end of their career that are looking at our league. If you got the itch, we got the scratch. We just keep putting on a great product and if he wants to play, he’ll come play.”
Jeff also said he’s spoken with Jason Terry — who said he WILL play next season. “I’m the source on that one because he told me himself.”
Jeff Kwatinetz: #BIG3Playoffs hats off to Jason terry for coming two years in a row to Dallas to support the big3. He was so complimentary and made us feel really good the players even in the nba are supportive. He’s looking forward to playing next year, whatnan nonor that would be!!
Brian Mahoney: Forget that Kobe to the #BIG3 idea. Molly Carter, chief marketing officer of Kobe Inc., says he definitely is not playing next year.
Clyde Drexler says the BIG3 league is packed with at least 12 dudes who have a real shot at NBA glory in 2018 … telling TMZ Sports he expects his league to launch those guys back to The Association. Drexler just took over as the commish of Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 league and says he’s been blown away by guys like Amare Stoudemire, DeShawn Stevenson and Andre Owens.
Do you have any interest in playing in Ice Cube’s BIG3 league at some point? Kobe Bryant: No. (Long pause) No interest? Kobe Bryant: No. Cube is a good friend of mine and he’s asked me repeatedly, but the answer is always going to be no.
Rick Barry, the NBA Hall-of-Famer who is coach of the BIG3’s Ball Hogs, put on mirrored sunglasses before announcing the first pick. “OK, brothers, here we go,’’ he said, drawing laughter in a room where he was one of the few white men. Can you imagine Bill Belichick adjusting his shades before announcing the New England Patriots pick in this year’s draft?
Here’s what you need to know about the 19 players taken: Round One: No. 1, Ball Hogs, Andre Owens. A shooting guard who once played for a pro team in Angola, was the secondoverall pick of the 2017 BIG3 draft and finished last season in the top five among league leaders in scoring, rebounding and assists. No. 2, 3’s Company, Andre Emmett. A forward who played four years for Bob Knight at Texas Tech and lived to tell about it, then played for almost two dozen pro teams — mostly overseas — before landing in the BIG3.
Greg Oden, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, was not selected in Thursday’s draft. There were only 19 selections in the draft. Josh Peter of USA Today explained there were more than 60 players on the board for the three-round draft, but the fact the reigning champions Trilogy had to keep their roster intact meant only seven teams had picks.
Ryan Ward: Metta World Peace on if he reached out to Kobe Bryant & Lamar Odom on joining #BIG3:”Not really. Maybe I should. I don’t think they’re going to play any more games,so I don’t know. It would be interesting to have Kobe on the same team in the BIG3.”#Lakers clutchpoints.com/exclusive-mett…
Ryan Ward: Clyde Drexler on Nancy Lieberman: “Nancy is one of the sharpest basketball minds & also one of the most competitive. Her experience & basketball acumen will stand out in the #BIG3, which is filled w/ star players & coaches. I couldn’t be happier to pass her the coaching torch.”
Ryan Ward: Nancy Lieberman: “It’s an honor & privilege for me to be a part of the BIG3 & its vision. We have former NBA players & Hall of Fame coaches who still love the game, have a deep respect for the competition, & a passion to play competitive basketball. It’s in our DNA.” #BIG3
Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman will coach a team this season in the BIG3. The league announced Wednesday that Lieberman, one of women’s basketball’s star players who has gone on to coach in the NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League, will lead Power. She replaces Clyde Drexler, who recently accepted a job as commissioner of the 3-on-3 league of former NBA players.
BIG3: SPLASH ALERT 💦Eddy Curry has joined the #BIG3Season 2 Draft Combine and the former ‘Baby Bull’ is ready to crash the boards and show his stuff.
Alex Kennedy: Is the Big 3 League something you’ve considered doing? Robert Swift: Yeah. I just, not too long ago, found out about that. What do they call it? The combine? In the summer before the Big 3 starts? Hopefully I can finish here [in Spain] with a championship and then head back this summer and make it to the combine.
Lamar Odom says his return to the court could happen this summer — telling TMZ Sports he wants to play in Ice Cube’s BIG3 league as a tribute to Rasual Butler. Lamar and the BIG3 have been circling each other for months. We were told Odom spoke with league honchos about a comeback last August … and Cube told us he was 100% down if L.O. got in shape.
Six-time NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire will join the Big3 League, according to a source. Stoudemire will serve as a captain of the Tri-State team, alongside Jermaine O’Neal and Nate Robinson, per a source. An official announcement is expected later on Wednesday.
BIG3: SPLASH ALERT 💦 The 30-year-old former number one pick out of Ohio State hopes to return to the court this Summer! Oden is ready to turn heads at the BIG3 Draft Combine.
Arash Markazi: Carlos Boozer has joined the BIG3 as Co-Captain of the Ghost Ballers alongside Captain Mike Bibby and Co-Captain Ricky Davis. The trio will lead the team alongside coach George “The Iceman” Gervin.
Arash Markazi: Glen “Big Baby” Davis has joined the BIG3 league and will be added to Power’s roster alongside Captain Corey Maggette and Co-Captain Cuttino Mobley. The trio will lead the team under Power coach Clyde Drexler.
TMZ Sports spoke with the ex-NBA All-Star about the newest addition to his Tri-State squad … and J.O. reveals he personally recruited Robinson because he knows the 33-year-old still belongs in the pros. O’Neal says the NBA scouts should have their eyes on Nate throughout the season … ’cause his team is gonna feed him the ball the whole time!!
Alex Kennedy: Nate Robinson has joined @TheBig3 for their 2nd season. The 3-on-3 league also added Baron Davis and Metta World Peace this offseason. They already announced they’re bringing back a ton of players and coaches from last year too. This season, games will air LIVE on Friday nights.
Ian Begley: Ron Artest will join the BIG3 league next season and Allen Iverson will return as a coach in the league, per a release from the BIG3. Artest will co-captain Stephen Jackson’s Killer 3’s team. Iverson will again coach 3’s Company.
T.J. Ford will play in the 2018 season of the Big3 league six years after retiring from the NBA following a number of scares to his surgically repaired spine. Ford, 34, told ESPN analyst Stephen Jackson in a text that he agreed to a deal with the half-court league founded by Ice Cube that features former NBA players. The Big3’s inaugural season wrapped in late August, with the Rick Mahorn-coached team Trilogy featuring Kenyon Martin, Al Harrington and Rashad McCants winning the championship, played at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Metta World Peace just casually dropped some BIG basketball news … telling TMZ Sports he’s gonna suit up for Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 league next season!! Metta — who’s already part of Master P’s Global Mixed Gender League — says he’s gonna play for BOTH organizations … on top of being a player developmental coach for the Lakers’ G-League affiliate.
Oliver Maroney: The BIG3 (@thebig3) has announced its first wave of signings. See below:
“I do want to get on the court. I want to finish my career playing basketball in China, playing basketball in America and possibly playing in the BIG3. I want to give the fans and those who supported me the opportunity to see me for the last time playing on the basketball court.”
Al knows what he’s talking about … dude’s a 16-year NBA vet and reigning BIG3 champ — and, most importantly, chats with Marbury all the time. Harrington was literally seconds away from hitting up Stephon when TMZ Sports found him in L.A. — and asked if he seriously thought the 40-year-old could still ball with the best. “Vince Carter doin’ it, so why not?” BUT … “I think he’d be better served in the BIG3.” Al told us he’s actually been recruiting Starbury for Ice Cube’s league … but it’s up to his boy to choose — or just DO BOTH!
With BIG3 honcho Ice Cube saying he’s gunning for Kobe to join his basketball league next season, we asked Iverson how he felt about possibly coaching the Black Mamba on his 3’s Company team. “That would be love,” Iverson said … “love, baby.”
Ice Cube is one step closer to adding “Agent 0” to his BIG3 league — with Gilbert Arenas telling TMZ Sports he’s seriously considering joining up. 35-year-old Arenas was promoting his Life Water company at 7/11 in L.A. this week when he told us he’s been in talks with Cube’s 3-on-3 league about signing on for next season. In fact, Arenas says he’s hoping the two sides can work out a sponsorship deal where his beverage company can be the official drink of the league.
Ice Cube says he’s been in touch with Kobe Bryant about joining the BIG3 … and he’s gunning to get the Black Mamba back on the court as early as next year!! The rap legend and 3-on-3 league commish talked to KTLA Morning News Thursday about his talks with the retired Lakers superstar … and Cube says he’s hoping Kobe will get the competitive itch again.
In a wide-ranging interview with Rashad McCants, the BIG3 star of Trilogy told ClutchPoints that Arenas is very interested in giving the league a shot next year when asked if a proposed trio of former superstars Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett would work and if any other former stars will join the league next season. “Absolutely,” McCants told ClutchPoints.com. “I spoke to Gilbert Arenas, and he said he’s definitely interested in coming in next year and a couple of others.
Bibby, now 39, retired after that season. . He welcomed the invitation from Ice Cube to play in the Big3 league the rapper and partner Jeff Kwatinetz launched this summer. “I grew up on Ice Cube’s music,” Bibby said. “Watching his movies and stuff. In my eyes, he’s like a living legend. It was something I couldn’t say no to.” Bibby would like to say yes again if invited to play in future Big3 seasons. “I would love to play as long as they’ll have me,” he said.
With the BIG3 already boasting legends of the game such as Allen Iverson, Rick Barry, Spurs great George Gervin, and others, the league’s Commissioner, Roger Mason, is already making a home for another hardwood legend – Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki. Mason is interested in adding Dirk once he hangs up his NBA sneakers. He also points to his time battling Nowitzki on the floor as a member of the Spurs as a starting point at recruiting the Mavs big man.
“We absolutely would be interested in Dirk Nowitzki,” said Mason. “He obviously has been one of the greatest of all time in five on five, but even where he is today he’d be a great three on three player so if he decides to hang them up this year in the NBA we certainly have a home for him here. I enjoyed my time playing against Dirk when I was with the Spurs playing Dallas a couple years ago in the playoffs so we do have a relationship and I’m sure he’s seen our games,” Mason said.
Speaking with Mason today, he expanded on his continuing efforts to lure Duncan to the league and is hoping he’ll have a change of heart. “I did reach out to him early on and I didn’t hear back,” said Mason. “But I think ultimately, it’s going to be a sit down. I am sure Tim has seen the games now and if he hasn’t, I am still planning on coming down to San Antonio to grab some food with him and try to get him in our league.”
When the fledgling 3-on-3 basketball league the BIG3 comes to Dallas on July 30, Mavericks fans will see a familiar face on the court at the American Airlines Center — former Mav DeShawn Stevenson, who is taking advantage of the opportunity to keep hooping in his post-NBA career. But if the league’s founder and rap legend Ice Cube has his way, another Maverick will be suiting up for the BIG3 in a couple of years. “We hope one day to have Dirk (Nowitzki) in our league if he still wants to hoop out when he finishes (with) the Mavericks,” Ice Cube said in a recent phone interview.
February 27, 2021 | 9:03 pm EST Update
Jrue Holiday likely to return after 10 games out
Adrian Wojnarowski: ESPN Sources: After missing 10 consecutive games in the league’s health and safety protocol, Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday is likely to return to the lineup against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Nets Daily: Woj says Sean Marks told him yesterday that @James Harden reminds him of @Manu Ginobili in terms of his court vision.
Fred Katz: 10th triple-double of the season for Russell Westbrook, who has 17-12-12 so far tonight. Wizards up 19 now in the third quarter.
Jovan Buha: No surprises on the Lakers’ injury report vs. Golden State tomorrow: LeBron James (left ankle sprain) is probable. Anthony Davis (right calf strain) is out.
Jason Anderson: Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton (left calf soreness) is out for Sunday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets.
Rod Boone: Devonte’ Graham remains out for tomorrow night’s game vs. Sacramento. Cody Zeller (left hip contusion) is questionable.
Gerald Bourguet: After missing Friday night’s game against the Bulls, Dario Saric (right ankle sprain) is once again listed as questionable for tomorrow’s Suns game
