Here’s Everything You Need To Know About The BIG3 Before It Tips Off

The NBA season is over and the NBA Draft wrapped up on Thursday, so now what? While some can’t wait for free agency to begin on July 1, we recommend checking out Ice Cube’s new 3-on-3 league, the BIG3. The league tips off on Sunday, with four games taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. As will be the case every week, games will air the following day (Monday) on Fox Sports One. The league also has its own fantasy game, which will raise the stakes of what already looks like an incredibly fun league.

Ice Cube and company planned this league out to make it as entertaining, exciting, and competitive as it could possibly be, so we decided to give you a heads up on what to expect.

The Rules

The most notable addition to the basic rules of basketball for BIG3 play is a four-point shot. Beyond that, the BIG3 has a variety of rules designed to speed up the game.

Free throws will be shot from whatever shot you were fouled on. So for instance, if you get fouled on a three-point shot, you take one three pointer. Make it, you get three points. Miss it, you get nothing. The same thing goes for two-point and four-point shots. There’s no fouling out, halftime happens when a squad hits 30 points, the first team to 60 points wins, and there’s no defensive three-second rule.

All personal fouls will be counted as team fouls but after five (in each half) opponents get two shots and the ball. They’ve also kept some of the street rules of pickup ball intact, like winning by two and making sure the ball is cleared past the three-point line if opposing team gets possession inside the inner half-circle.

All in all, it’s a mix of new and old. Oh, and one last old-school 3-on-3 rule: All the games take place in the halfcourt. It wouldn’t be a 3-on-3 game if it happened any other way.

The Rosters

The most important aspect of BIG3, of course, are the rosters. They feature a ton of former big name players, with legends of the game roaming the sideline as a head coach. Here’s who you can expect to see:

3’s Company: Allen Iverson (player-coach/captain), DerMarr Johnson (co-captain), Andre Owens, Mike Sweetney, Ruben Patterson, Al Thornton, David Hawkins (reserve)

3 Headed Monsters: Rashard Lewis (captain), Jason Williams (co-captain), Kwame Brown, Eddie Basden, Mahomoud Abdul-Rauf, Hakim Warrick (reserve), Gary Payton (coach)

Ball Hogs: Brian Scalabrine (captain), Josh Childress (co-captain), Derrick Byars, Rasual Butler, Dominic McGuire, Desmon Farmer (reserve), Rick Barry (coach)

Killer 3’s: Chauncey Billups (captain), Stephen Jackson (co-captain), Reggie Evans, Larry Hughes, Brian Cook, Charles Oakley (player-coach), Eddie Robinson (reserve)

Trilogy: Kenyon Martin (captain), Al Harrington (co-captain), Rashad McCants, James White, Dion Glover, Rick Mahorn (coach), Jannero Pargo (reserve)

Power: Corey Maggette (captain), Cuttino Mobley (co-captain), Jerome Williams, DeShawn Stevenson, Moochie Norris, Clyde Drexler (coach), Paul McPherson (reserve)

Tri-State: Jermaine O’Neal (captain), Bonzi Wells (co-captain), Xavier Silas, Lee Nailon, Mike James, Julius Erving (coach), Lou Amundson (reserve)

Ghost Ballers: Mike Bibby (captain), Ricky Davis (co-captain), Mo Evans, Marcus Banks, Ivan Johnson, George Gervin (coach), Joe Smith (reserve)

The Schedule

The BIG3 will head to 10 different cities in 10 weeks, traveling nationally to some of the biggest basketball arenas in the country. Additionally, games will take place in smaller, more quaint venues for basketball fans that have been deprived of professional hoops. Games will be televised the following day on FS1. Here’s a list of the scheduled days and cities.

Week 1: June 25 (Brooklyn)

Week 2: July 2 (Charlotte)

Week 3: July 9 (Tulsa)

Week 4: July 16 (Philadelphia)

Week 5: July 23 (Chicago)

Week 6: July 30 (Dallas)

Week 7: August 6 (Lexington)

Week 8: August 13 (Los Angeles)

Week 9 (Playoffs): August 20 (Seattle)

Week 10 (Finals): August 27 (Las Vegas)

For each week’s matchups, head on over to the BIG3’s official website. You can expect to see the following teams square off during Week 1.

Game 1: Ghost Ballers vs. 3 Headed Monsters
Game 2: Tri-State vs. Power
Game 3: 3’s Company vs. Ball Hogs
Game 4: Killer 3’s vs. Trilogy

The league tips off on Sunday, June 25, but you can watch the action the following day at 8 p.m. on FS1.