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My big day at the BIG3 draft
Ice Cube was on hand in Las Vegas for his BIG3 league's inaugural draft. Sam Wasson/Getty Images

My big day at the BIG3 draft

The last weekend in April is when our nation’s finest athletes assemble for a blockbuster draft event, as America awaits each subsequent pick with bated breath, celebrating and gnashing teeth in turn. I am, of course, speaking about the first annual draft for the BIG3, the new traveling 3-on-3 league founded by Ice Cube.

The eight-team league is set to play this summer in cities across America with the games broadcast on Fox Sports Monday nights. The final will take place in Las Vegas and be televised live, so that’s where the BIG3 had its inaugural combine and draft. Saturday, the players worked out and scrimmaged for their various coaches and captains, and Sunday morning, the teams made their picks at the Planet Hollywood Casino.

The Buildup


NBA legends like San Antonio Spurs great George Gervin were on hand for the BIG3 draft. Sam Wasson/Getty Images

I arrived in Vegas on Saturday night and almost immediately witnessed a fistfight between four women at a food court. That told me the Raiders were going to fit in just fine in Sin City. Las Vegas is building a football stadium, and it's got a new arena for the brand-new hockey team, the Golden Knights. The city hosted an NBA All-Star Game, as well as Summer League every July, so Vegas is clearly a sports town.

That showed from the crowds assembled to watch. I saw a girl in a Minnesota Vikings jersey adorned with Prince’s symbol, a ton of Allen Iverson jerseys, a Latrell Sprewell Timberwolves jersey and perhaps the most on-brand outfit of all, a Ben Simmons 76ers shirsey — the perfect symbol of the hope, excitement and unease that I felt as I waited at the red carpet.

I’ve seen baseball old timers games, where you’re more reminded of your favorite stars’ mortality than their past glories, but the BIG3 has accounted for this. The guys are playing 3-on-3, half-court basketball. There’s one game a week, and the teams play to 60 points (though you have to win by four). In addition, there’s a "Rock N' Jock"-esque “four-point circle,” which speeds up the games and makes aging sharpshooters stay relevant.

Ice Cube said he was inspired by watching Kobe Bryant score 60 in his last game: “Why isn’t he still playing basketball? Mainly it’s wear and tear. We created a sport where these guys can flourish.”

It felt like the league did exactly that. Maybe it was Ice Cube’s pedigree, maybe it was the involvement of legends like George Gervin and Dr. J, but the guys did seem genuinely excited to be there with each other and to get out and compete. Nearly everyone expressed confidence that in Cube’s league and that he, too, might “eff around and get a triple-double,” and reports about the competition at tryouts proved just how seriously these guys are taking the league.

What do I mean? Reportedly, Saturday’s tryouts got intense enough that Stephen Jackson and player-coach Charles Oakley had to step in as peacemakers. Yes, Stephen Jackson and Charles Oakley were stopping the fights.

The Draft


Commissioner Roger Mason Jr. helped kicked off the BIG3 draft. Sam Wasson/Getty Images

As draft time approached, we went inside the showroom, and the folks in charge introduced the captains and coaches (Oakley got the biggest ovation by far). After a speech from Cube and commissioner Roger Mason Jr., it was time to draft.

With the first pick, Trilogy (Kenyon Martin's and Al Harrington’s team) selected former North Carolina star Rashad McCants, which immediately disproved the idea that these teams were going to draft for star power. McCants washed out of the NBA years ago, and when he’s not playing overseas he’s a fitness trainer. Emcee Michael Rapaport congratulated McCants and then set the tone for the rest of the event by making fun of Trilogy coach Rick Mahorn.


Emcee Michael Rapaport was the star of the BIG3 draft, shown here with first overall pick Rashad McCants. Sam Wasson/Getty Images

The BIG3 didn’t have highlight packages, mock drafts, guys in earpieces fake-laughing at each other’s jokes — all the things the bigger leagues have as part of their telecasts. There’s no Mel Kiper — though after this article, I might actually be the Mel Kiper of the BIG3. But you need to kill time while teams decide who to pick, and the BIG3 did this by letting Rapaport loose.

The second pick was former Pacers guard Andre Owens, and Rapaport immediately roasted him for wearing hard shoes with jeans. Pick 3 was Reggie Evans, who went to Charles Oakley’s Killer 3s. Rapaport asked Stack Jack who would win the NBA championship this year, and he declared that he could take any five guys from the BIG3 draft and win the title.

Roger Mason mispronounced the name of the fourth pick, Xavier Silas, and Rapaport made fun of both of them. Even if I just experienced that drudgery of NFL Draft coverage, it would have been clear: Every draft should be like this. The mood was so positive that when Kwame Brown was announced at No. 5, whoops and shouts of “good pick!” came from the crowd. Kwame Brown was a consensus great draft pick. And I agreed! He went gluten-free and he looks fantastic!


The fans were stoked when Kwame Brown was taken in the BIG3 draft. Sam Wasson/Getty Images

None of this is to imply that these captains and coaches weren’t taking things very seriously. Gervin, Rick Barry, Dr. J and the rest had strong ideas of what they were looking for. In fact, Dr. J refused to say which players impressed him for fear other teams might overhear — well, except for player-coach Allen Iverson, who wasn’t there.

A 10 a.m. Sunday start in Las Vegas is not without its perils for players and media alike. It wasn’t surprising that the red carpet started a little late, nor that journalists were wearing sunglasses and clutching coffee. One player was wearing the same outfit I’d seen him in the night before. Another muttered to a security guard, “Rough bleeping night.”

After the Kwame Brown pick, Rapaport read a text message from absent 3 Headed Monster captain Jason “White Chocolate” Williams: “Awful, and it's coming out of both ends. Who'd you guys pick?”

Let’s hope Mr. Williams recovers from his flu-like symptoms quickly.

Clyde Drexler’s Power selected the Junkyard Dog himself, Jerome Williams, setting off a flurry of barks from the crowd whenever anyone mentioned Jerome, dogs, junk or yards for the rest of the morning. It also became clear to Rapaport and the crowd that team captain Cuttino Mobley was wearing sweats, cleverly disguised as suit pants. Mobley refused to stand up.

Team strategies started to crystalize. Mike Bibby and Ricky Davis are co-captains of the Ghost Ballers, and if I know Ricky Davis, the strategy is “get Ricky shots.” On the red carpet, Bibby expressed confidence that he could lead the BIG3 league in assists, probably because he knows Ricky will jack it anytime he receives one of his passes. The duo drafted Mo Evans and Marcus Banks back to back. They’re solid players, but what they have in common is that they won’t cut in to Ricky’s precious shots. This is in no way a criticism: Ricky Davis should be firing away like he’s on Bunker Hill and he just saw the whites of a redcoats' eyes.

Things moved quickly and then got very honest. Rick Barry called DeAndre Jordan “pathetic” for his poor free throw shooting, genuinely angry that Jordan wouldn’t use his son Shooter’s sensor-laden shooting sleeve.

DeShawn Stevenson went No. 11 and explained his selection thusly: “I don’t take no shit.”

Larry Hughes joined Reggie Evans on the Killer 3s. When asked whether he could still dunk, Hughes said, “Look, the money motivates you.”

Rapaport doubled over in disbelief when he heard the No. 15 pick, the beefy Michael Sweetney, was actually DOWN 70 pounds.

James “Flight” White was not present since he’s playing overseas, but he still went No. 16, which led to this amazing exchange with Black Sports Online

Colin Kaepernick may be blackballed from the NFL for his refusal to stand for the anthem last season, but free expression doesn’t bother the BIG3. That’s why 48-year-old Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf went to Rashard Lewis and Al Harrington’s 3 Headed Monsters. He’s the oldest draftee, but I felt very confident that, despite his gray beard, he could still do damage from the four-point circle.

Speaking of free expression, after Dion Glover was drafted by Trilogy, he announced, “Stephen Jackson’s full of shit. I’m after his ass.” 

If that happened in the NFL, Roger Goodell would have a stroke, and Glover would have disappeared to whatever black site the league office hides its concussion research.

I had expected awkwardness when players were passed over, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Mason explained the league planned to have a free agent pool for absences and the inevitable injuries, so not being drafted wasn’t disastrous. Everyone there is potentially eligible for call-ups, perhaps a two-month grace period for players who weren’t quite in half-court shape yet. Still, seeing Cuttino Mobley select former teammate Moochie Norris over his former teammate and best friend  Steve Francis felt like watching Bert stab Ernie in the back.

Things became increasingly chaotic and delightful. Rick Barry left because he “had to catch a plane,” and hopefully not because he was jumping to a rival 3-on-3 league for more money. Brian Scalabrine was absent due to his playoff broadcasting responsibilities, but that didn’t stop Rapaport from declaring, “Scalabrine's not a better actor than me! He might not even be a better ball player at this point!" 

Ruben Patterson was drafted, and people shouted “Kobe Killer!" — not an accurate description of how his matchups with Kobe Bryant actually went.

Ivan Johnson got drafted after he already left. Mike James went No. 23. When asked how much basketball he’s been playing, he said, “Not a lot. But I’ll start.” 

The last pick, and "Mr. Three-Relevant," was Brian Cook, who sauntered quite slowly to the stage. A man two rows behind me stage whispered, “Damn, he had fun last night!”  

The Aftermath


DeShawn Stevenson was greeted by Roger Mason Jr. at the BIG3 draft. Sam Wasson/Getty Images

All in all, the BIG3 delivered thanks to the star power and sheer will of Ice Cube, plus the charm of these basketball players. I felt genuinely happy for Kwame Brown and genuinely curious whether DeShawn Stevenson would bring along his personal tattoo artist to BIG3 games. (He did confirm that the ATM in his home charges a $5 fee.) 

The only player who seemed miserable was, well, Jason Williams. That’s a good sign, because the season will have a vibe not unlike like the draft itself — eight teams, 40 players, plus coaches, taking over a different arena every Saturday in the summer. Is there a market for that in Tulsa and in Lexington, Ky.? Ice Cube is betting that there is.

There’s surely kinks to be worked out before the season starts June 25 in Brooklyn — conditioning, sponsorships, reassuring Bonzi Wells that headbands are legal, getting Sean Keane Killer 3s gear — but the spirit is there. I would recommend making sure Rapaport is a part of all the games and broadcasts, that Gary Payton and Steven Jackson receive immunity from technical fouls for trash talking, and that even if he doesn’t play, D.J. Mbenga attends every game to high-five fans and yell, “Tacos!”

The draft broke up slowly, with players taking photos together and talking to fans. The second half of Jazz-Clippers had started and was much less entertaining than the event we'd just left. In fact, I wondered if it was too late to schedule a supplemental BIG3 draft for Paul Pierce and Jamal Crawford. You know Jamal would be the king of the and-one from the four-point circle. 

Given what I witnessed, I expect this to be at worst an entertaining diversion from summer baseball, and fortunately for all of us, the games start in the afternoon, giving everyone ample time to catch a game when it comes to town without cutting in to the weekend night plans. I certainly cannot wait to see how it all plays out.

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