Recently, the United States three vs three basketball team did not find much success at the Olympics in Paris, failing to medal despite the main five vs five team winning gold and finishing their run undefeated. The three vs three team was led by former college basketball star Jimmer Fredette, but ultimately, the team wasn't able to put together enough momentum to generate an Olympics medal.
Back home in the United States, arguably the most notable three vs three league is the BIG3, led by rapper and actor Ice Cube. The BIG3 consists primarily of retired NBA players who want to prove they still have a lot left in the tank, and recently, Ice Cube had the idea of pitting a BIG3 team against the team who won the Olympics gold medal in three vs three, which this year was the Netherlands.
Now, he's calling out FIBA for they're perceived interference of the matchup during a recent appearance on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show.
“FIBA is scared, without a doubt. They came with some technicality that they needed a three week notice, 10 days is enough to figure out if you want to do it or not,” said Ice Cube. “So they blew a huge opportunity for their guys, and for our guys, and for sports fans, and for the game of 3 on 3.”
Ice Cube also broke down why he feels it would have been a great thing for the sport.
“It would have gotten so much attention,” he said. “We still got the money up, let's give them more than three weeks so they don’t have any excuses and they can send a few more teams. We can have a big cup, we can have a little tournament and see who’s the best in the world for real for real.”
A notable league
It's been impressive to see the amount of success the BIG3 League has gained in such a relatively short amount of time. Ice Cube has given a second basketball life to many former fan favorite NBA players, including Joe Johnson, Rashard Lewis, and many others, who have entertained fans across the country well into their 40s.
The NBA and the BIG3 have had at times a volatile relationship over the years, with Ice Cube publicly calling out the league on more than one occasion, and it seems that that vitriol has also extended over to the organizers of basketball in the international realm.
In any case, it doesn't seem that this matchup is going to happen any time soon.
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