"Jaylen Brown is my hero": Ice Cube salutes Celtics superstar for suiting up for BIG3 and building bridges with NBA
Ice Cub's basketball league is getting a big boost in their upcoming BIG3 All-Star Game at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom, with Boston Celtics wingman Jaylen Brown participating in the event.
Brown recently signed a very lucrative contract extension with the Boston Celtics with a five-year, $304 million deal. Owning the biggest contract right now in the NBA, the former California Golden Bears standout is now set to suit up for the All-Star 3-on-3 game and will do it for the charity.
The news was broken by league founder Ice Cube on X (formerly called Twitter).
"Jaylen Brown is my hero. He’s making a humongous statement by being the first current NBA player to play in a BIG3 game. By suiting up for our All Star game tomorrow, he’s doing everything in his power to help the league succeed. Salute. Forever grateful…," said Ice Cube on the poss.
Among other players who will be joining Jaylen Brown are Jodie Meeks, Mike Taylor, Glen Rice Jr., Earl Clark, Ryan Carter, Leandro Barbosa, Gerald Green, Jonathon Simmons, Frank Nitty & Jason Richardson.
The six-year-old league has been a ground for former NBA players to extend their playing years without leaving the US. In each season, the popularity of the basketball tournament has been growing.
“We’ve got a great product, a lot of interest when it comes to comparing ratings with some of the sports that’s been around for decades,” said Ice Cube to the Athletic.
NBA not investing on the BIG3
In line with Ice Cube's vision for his league, he hopes that someday, his league will be in partnership with the NBA to help players needing a good workout during the off-season to brush up on 3-on-3 basketball.
“My vision is, if the NBA was to ever come to their senses and work with us, (to) send players who might need to be a little more physical in the paint to come play in the Big3 in the summer.
(They could) learn different all-around skills that they can take back to their teams in five-on-five play," said Cube.
The NBA has expressed support for BIG3, but the ideal partnership by Ice Cube has not materialized yet. Nonetheless, NBA is not yet inclined to make an investment in the 3-on-3 tournament.
“We have been supportive of the Big3 since its inception, but we declined to invest,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass.
The relationship between the two leagues has been tense despite the support, but Ice Cube hopes to get more from the NBA in the future.