Ice Cube’s Big3 basketball league is back for its second season along with a slew of fresh and familiar faces.
Former-NBA players and stars of the past collide for this inclusive halfcourt style of play that lends itself to all facets of the game. Professional, collegiate and streetball fans alike culminate in a diverse and active fanbase with a strong passion for basketball.
After a stacked 2018 Big3 Draft and an exciting offseason, both returning and first-time competitors will have their chance to ball out. As with all leagues, certain players rise to the occasion in their pursuit of greatness. These are three guys to look out for this summer as the Big3 revolutionizes the game.
Nate Robinson: Tri-State
Three-on-three basketball is nothing like the traditional organized game you’ve seen in the past. The stakes are higher, the playstyle is grittier and the intensity of the players determines the outcome of the game. There are few players better suited for this style of play than Tri-State’s Nate Robinson. In his 11 seasons in the NBA, Robinson embarrassed the competition by exhibiting the heart and intensity of a street baller.
Alongside Tri-State co-captain Amar’e Stoudemire, Robinson leads his team by example. Using his unmatched quickness and size to his advantage, “Nate the Great” can take control of any matchup by exposing and attacking the weaknesses of his opponent. In just 22 minutes, Robinson scored 10 points including two three-pointers and two assists to begin his season.
No, he’ll never be the strongest player on the court. It’s no secret that opponents target him on both sides of the ball in a tireless attempt at taking him out of the game. Maybe some players would back down from that challenge, but not Nate. He’s faced it his whole life and it’s never stopped him then, so it’s definitely not going to stop him now. With the game on the line, Nate turned up the heat and hit a game-sealing three-pointer against the defending champion Trilogy to kick off the Big3 season in Houston. This wasn’t the end of the night for either team.
Robinson strolled down the court after draining the game-clinching shot and snatched the Joker facemask that McCants jokingly wore to the season opener. As you may expect, McCants didn’t take kindly to this.
The best part about the whole ordeal is that Robinson couldn’t care less about McCants and the rest of Trilogy mobbing him down like the angry villagers in Frankenstein. As a matter of fact, it hyped him up even further.
Nate the Great has been in the Big3 for a whopping one game and is already one of the league’s shooting stars. It’s going to be a hell of a summer.
Reggie Evans: Three Headed Monsters
Full disclosure, I could give you 3,000 words right now about why Reggie Evans is one of the most valuable players an NBA team could ever ask for. To be fair, none of the reasoning I’d include (besides a few ungodly rebounding stats) would have anything to do with actual basketball, but rather for his work ethic, veteran leadership and team-first mentality.
Not many people expected Evans to make a splash this season after an average output with the Killer 3’s in 2017. He matched his 10.6 rebounds per contest with a humble 10.6 points as a solid contributor for an average team. Reggie played a hard and physical brand of basketball well suited for the Big3, but never excelled as more than role player.
There’s nothing like a change of scenery to inspire a player’s confidence.
This season, surrounded by the shooters and gunners of the 3 Headed Monsters, Evans will have more space to operate down low than he has previously. Despite being three years removed from the league, Evans is still in fantastic playing shape. His uncanny strength and refined midrange jumpshot are two tools that’ll allow him to excel in a halfcourt setting. Above all, Reggie remains one of the game’s most experienced and talented rebounders. His ability to box out and create his own opportunities, especially against undersized opponents, is second to none.
Last season, Evans’ former Supersonic teammate Rashard Lewis earned the league’s first ever MVP Award. Now reunited with an old friend for a second chance at glory, Reggie has all of the resources he needs for a breakout year.
Baron Davis: 3’s Company
There’ve been rumbling for years that Baron Davis sought after a return to the NBA. The two-time All Star joined a long line of rising stars plagued by injury who couldn’t quite reach their true potential. Now, Davis has returned to the hardwood for the first time since his stint with the New York Knicks in 2012, where he served as a veteran presence and role player on a budding playoff contender.
He wasn’t the most impactful player at the time but had brief moments reminiscent of the man who upset the first-seed Dallas Mavericks in 2007. Anyone who had the opportunity to see him at his peak could attest to the notion that B-Diddy gets buckets.
The Big3 eliminates many of the physical and mental difficulties that NBA players struggle with. Halfcourt basketball is much friendlier on the body and the season schedule allows a lot more flexibility in the player’s everyday lives. Big3 basketball is the perfect opportunity for someone like Baron Davis to return to the superstardom from which they came.
Davis led 3’s Company to a 51-30 blowout victory over the Killer 3’s in Houston with a game-high 17 points including two three-pointers and one four-point shot. Despite a poor shooting night with five makes on 15 attempts, Davis found his footing later in the game by expanding his range and regaining some confidence. As he readjusts to the game, Davis’ efficiency and scoring should increase.
3’s Company has a high ceiling as a team but lacks some offensive firepower that’s necessary to keep up with the league’s elite. If Davis can settle into his role and become the same go-to scorer he’s been his whole life, Ice Cube may have another MVP-caliber player emerging in season two.