The Big3 basketball league, which announced last year it will switch models for the 2025 season and have each of its eight teams represent a city for the first time, said Wednesday the Los Angeles Riot will represent L.A. and will be coached by former USC Trojans and Lakers star Nick Young.
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The other teams will be as follows:
-- Boston Ball Hogs (coached by Gary Payton);
-- Chicago Triplets (coach to be announced);
-- Dallas Power (coached by Nancy Lieberman);
-- Detroit Amplifiers (coached by George Gervin);
-- DMV Trilogy, representing the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia (coached by Stephen Jackson);
-- Houston Rig Hands (coached by Calvin Murphy); and
-- Miami 305 (coached by Michael Cooper).
"This is a landmark moment in our league," BIG3 Co-CEO Ice Cube said in a statement. "These cities have shown up for us year after year and we are honored to represent and reward those fans with a new franchise of their own. The basketball energy in these cities is unmatched, and we've seen first- hand the power of their fanbases.
"Transitioning to a full city-based model for this season is another marker of the league's continued exponential growth, and fans can expect an increased talent pool and a more competitive style of game than ever before," the rapper and entrepreneur continued. "And this is just the beginning; we hope to add four additional expansion markets in 2026. Basing teams in these fantastic cities for the first time is a privilege and we know that these teams will represent their local fans to the highest ability and provide the best 3- on-3 basketball in the world for years to come."
For the league's first seven seasons, the BIG3 operated under a touring model in which all teams were centrally owned by the league. The eight teams will start the new season fresh, with each franchise featuring a new roster.
The league's eighth season tips off on June 14. The full season schedule will be released next week.
Ice Cube and film producer Jeffrey Kwatinetz founded the Big3 in January 2017. It is headquartered in Los Angeles. Games are three-on-three, and played on a half-court.
League officials say the Big3 was the first professional sports league to implement a mental health policy, favor CBD as a pain management alternative to opioids, enlist female coaches of men, and appoint a Black Commissioner in Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler.
"The league has always attracted players that want to do more -- to play harder, to get more involved with their communities, and to get closer to the fans that have supported them throughout their entire careers," Drexler said. "Our players and coaches have such deep ties to a number of these cities and getting an opportunity to deepen those connections even further by basing their team in that city is a task they hold in high esteem. What's good for our fans, is good for our players, our coaches, and the league at large. This transition will lead to an even more competitive league, and I have no doubt that our game will continue to be played at the very highest level."
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