Ice Cube has claimed that his BIG3 basketball league attracts more TV viewers than two major sports leagues in the United States.
The West Coast legend joined Logan Paul’s IMPAULSIVE podcast earlier this week, where he discussed the hurdles of bringing his three-on-three hoop league to the masses and how their TV ratings actually rank above the NHL (National Hockey League) and MLS (Major League Soccer).
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“It’s been hard as hell to get it going. I mean, to get people to start fighting us on these different fronts,” Cube said. “Our ratings are better than MLS, our ratings are better than NHL. So we got a sport that’s making noise.
“I wouldn’t know the world no different. This is just a new version of the same song. We dealt with it in music, movies and we’re dealing with it in sports.”
He continued: “We’ve had five great seasons so we’re planning to have our sixth, but the challenges are there for any young league. We’re just meeting them head-on and it’s cool people will get a chance to see what we’re going through.”
Ice Cube will give fans an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at BIG3 this summer through a recently-announced docuseries, which he’s set to star in and produce via his Cube Vision production company in partnership with Jesse Collins Entertainment.
The series will allow fans to witness the battles Cube faces as the league’s CEO in its journey to becoming one of the most popular three-on-three leagues on the planet.
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Last October, the former N.W.A legend accused the NBA and ESPN of “doing everything in their powers to ignore or destroy” BIG3, although he didn’t offer any specifics.
“The NBA hasn’t been the nicest to the BIG3,” Cube said in a separate interview with Basketball News. “Of course, publicly, they say all the right words. But we know privately, there’s things done behind the scenes [with] sponsors, broadcasters, blah blah blah… It did tarnish my fandom a bit.”
BIG3’s 2023 season is set to kick off on June 25 and will make stops throughout the country in Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas, NYC, Detroit, Memphis and Miami throughout its 10-week run.
“After two years of a semi-touring model, we are finally able to safely return to cities nationwide and bring the BIG3 back to the size of arenas where our fans want us the most,” Ice Cube said in a statement.
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“We have tremendous momentum going into the sixth season, coming off of record ratings and numerous sold out games. We’ve been making moves this offseason – getting certified by ByBlack, renewing with CBS, and recruiting and signing all-star players – to put together the best season yet and we can’t wait to show these cities what the BIG3 is all about.”
Games will be broadcasted this summer on CBS and Paramount+, with the 2023 BIG3 Championship Game slated for August 26.
