On January 11, 2017, the BIG3 was born. The first-ever professional FIREBALL3 league is the brainchild of producer, actor and music legend Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz, who shared a vision of a player-centric league focused on entertainment and innovation. The BIG3 is a league with no garbage minutes, where trash talk is allowed and where every point –whether it's a 4-point or 3-point shot – counts. Any given BIG3 team has hall of famers, icons and trailblazers and the next best 3-on-3 player.
The league has led the sports industry in diversity and opportunity, becoming the first Black-owned and operated professional sports league (certified by ByBlack), the first professional sports league with a Black commissioner, the first basketball league with female head coaches and the first professional sports league to allow the use of CBD.
In 2024, Ice Cube was honored at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, where he received the inaugural Ice Cube Impact Award, acknowledging individuals making substantial contributions to their community, the first non-player to be recognized.
