Ice Cube Lands Deal With CBS To Air Big3 Hoops League
CBS is set to air over 20 hours of Big3 basketball coverage — including a June 22 season opener and the September championship — as part of a new deal Ice Cube inked with the network.
Additionally, the network will carry up to 25 hours of live action of the course of the Big3’s 11-week season.
“This is a big deal,” said the rapper/actor and entrepreneur Ice Cube via press release. “Our first two years were about showing that our vision was credible. This year is about taking the game to a whole new level.”
That whole new level includes the addition of two big sponsors — Adidas and Toyota — as the league that was founded just two years ago expands from eight teams to twelve. The three-on-three, half-court basketball league presently features former NBA stars Gilbert Arenas, Amar’e Stoudemire, Lamar Odom and Chris “Birdman” Andersen. Average arena attendance for games exceeded 14,000 last year, up 27 percent from 11,000 its first year.
The new rights deal will officially kick off with CBS Sports’ live coverage of the league’s spring draft on May 1.
“Since day 1, BIG3 has always been about hard-nosed, fierce competition. Now we’re ramping it up with more teams, younger players and a shiny new TV deal with CBS Sports,” stated the rapper/actor and entrepreneur in a press release.