Get To Know BIG3, The latest Basketball Craze In America

Photo: clearchannel.com

The NBA season concluded with the the Golden State Warriors winning the NBA title last month. But if you think we've got to wait till November to get the next taste of exciting NBA style action, think again.

The Inaugural Big3 Season

There's a new basketball league that's taken the nation by storm and it's called the Big3. Founded by rapper Ice Cube and entertainment industry executive Jeff Kwatinetz, the Big3 is a professional 3 on 3 basketball league which features mostly former NBA players and superstars. The league is composed of 8 teams, with each team made up of 5 players and one coach. The teams play on weekly quadruple headers for 8 weeks before the playoffs on week 9 and the championship game on the 10th week.

The league officially opened its inaugural season last month with the next game days to be played every Sunday for a total of 10 weeks. Games are played in the best arenas in some of the best U.S. Locations. Aside from the excitement of three on three action, every game day features fan events, halftime shows, exhibits and after-parties. Exciting? Wait till you see the big names in the Big3 roster.

Where Legends Play

There is no bigger name in the Big3's playing roster than Allen Iverson. Inducted to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2016, Iverson was the #1 overall pick in the NBA's famed 1996 Draft. Iverson was the 1997 Rookie of the a Year and was a four time NBA scoring champion. In 2001, he was named as the NBA's MVP after leading the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals. Although he never won an NBA title, Iverson is considered as one of the top 5 best shooting guards of all-time.

Aside from being a player, Iverson is also the coach of the 3's company team. Speaking of coaches, the Big3 coaching roster is a list of legendary Hall of Fame players: Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Clyde Drexler and Gary Payton. Former Detroit Pistons Bad Boy Rick Mahorn and former Knicks enforcer Charles Oakley ( who is also a player-coach like Iverson ) complete the Big3 coaching cast.

The Big3 Roster

We said the roster is stacked. We are not exaggerating. There are four former #1 overall picks in the NBA Draft playing for four different Big3 teams. Iverson is one and then there are the Trilogy’s Kenyon Martin, the 3 headed Monsters’ Kwame Brown. The fourth #1 pick is Joe Smith who is a reserve for the Ghost Ballers. Check out the list of teams and the players in the inaugural season of the Big3:

3's Company
● Captain: Allen Iverson
● Co-captain: DerMarr Johnson
● Andre Owens
● Mike Sweetney
● Ruben Patterson
● Al Thornton
● Player coach: Allen Iverson
● Reserve: David Hawkins

Killer 3s
● Captain: Chauncey Billups
● Co-captain: Stephen Jackson
● Reggie Evans
● Larry Hughes
● Brian Cook
● Player coach: Charles Oakley
● Reserve: Eddie Robinson

Tri-State
● Captain: Jermaine O'Neal
● Co-captain: Bonzi Wells
● Xavier Silas
● Lee Nailon
● Mike James
● Coach: Julius "Dr. J" Erving
● Reserve: Lou Amundson

3 Headed Monsters
● Captain: Rashard Lewis
● Co-captain: Jason Williams
● Kwame Brown
● Eddie Basden
● Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
● Coach: Gary Payton
● Reserve: Hakim Warrick

Trilogy
● Captain: Kenyon Martin
● Co-captain: Al Harrington
● Rashad McCants
● James White
● Dion Glover
● Coach: Rick Mahorn
● Jannero Pargo

Ghost Ballers
● Captain: Mike Bibby
● Co-captain: Ricky Davis
● Mo Evans
● Marcus Banks
● Ivan Johnson
● Coach: George Gervin
● Reserve: Joe Smith

Ball Hogs
● Captain: Brian Scalabrine
● Co-captain: Josh Childress
● Derrick Byars
● Rasual Butler
● Dominic McGuire
● Coach: Rick Barry
● Reserve: Desmon Farmer

Power
● Captain: Corey Maggette
● Co-captain: Cuttino Mobley
● Jerome Williams
● DeShawn Stevenson
● Moochie Norris
● Coach: Clyde Drexler
● Reserve: Paul McPherson

The Opening Week

Photo: Complex.com

So far the Big 3 has played out two of its eight regular season playing dates. Its first ever season premiered at New York's Barclays Center last June 25, 2017 A week later, the Big3 took its act to the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina last July 2.

The Big3 opening week was a hit with a crowd of over 15,000 trooping the Barclays Center. Allen Iverson won his coaching debut for 3s Company while Rashard Lewis exploded for 27 points during the 3 Headed Monsters win on opening night. DeShawn Stevenson lifted Power to victory with a game winner from long range. For its debut week, the Big3 Monday TV telecast on FS1 delivered an average viewership of 398,000. That number placed it as one of the network's top 10 all-time basketball telecasts.

What's Next?

With still six playing dates to go in the round robin regular season, the playoff slots are still a wide open field. Given the talent level in the league, anything can still happen. Here is the remaining regular season games schedule:

● July 9: BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma
● Power vs. 3 Headed Monsters
● Killer 3s vs. Tri-State
● Ball Hogs vs. Ghost Ballers
● Trilogy vs. 3's Company
● July 16: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
● Ghost Ballers vs. Power
● Trilogy vs. Ball Hogs
● Killer 3s vs. 3 Headed Monsters
● 3's Company vs. Tri-State
● July 23: UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois
● Ball Hogs vs. Power
● 3's Company vs. 3 Headed Monsters
● Tri-State vs. Trilogy
● Killer 3s vs. Ghost Ballers
● July 30: American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas
● Killer 3s vs. Ball Hogs
● 3's Company vs. Power
● Trilogy vs. Ghost Ballers
● Tri-State vs. 3 Headed Monsters
● August 6: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
● Tri-State vs. Ghost Ballers
● Trilogy vs. Power
● Ball Hogs vs. 3 Headed Monsters
● Killer 3s vs. 3's Company
● August 13: Staples Center in Los Angeles, California
● Ghost Ballers vs. 3 Headed Monsters
● Tri-State vs. Power
● 3's Company vs. Ball Hogs
● Killer 3s vs. Trilogy
● August 20 (Playoffs): Key Arena in Seattle, Washington
● No. 1 vs. No. 4
● No. 2 vs. No. 3
● No. 5 vs. No. 6
● No. 7 vs. No. 8
● August 26 (Championship): T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada

Pumped up already? Here's how to watch the games:

Games are broadcast on Mondays or a day after the games are played. TV coverage starts at 8 pm ET on Fox Sports 1. You can also stream online using the Fox Sports Go website or the Fox Sports Go mobile app.