What Is The Big 3 Championship Game Everyone's Talking About?

Skip to main contentCome Fan with UsWednesday, January 21, 2026SBNation.com homepageSB NationSB Nation logoNotificationsNotifications

• The Feed
• Breakaway
• Betting
  • FanDuel Sportsbook Odds
  • FanDuel Daily Fantasy Sports
  • Betting Picks and Predictions
• NFL
  • Today's NFL Trivia
  • All NFL
  • Fantasy Football
  • Arizona Cardinals
  • Atlanta Falcons
  • Baltimore Ravens
  • Buffalo Bills
  • Carolina Panthers
  • Chicago Bears
  • Cincinnati Bengals
  • Cleveland Browns
  • Dallas Cowboys
  • Denver Broncos
  • Detroit Lions
  • Green Bay Packers
  • Houston Texans
  • Indianapolis Colts
  • Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Kansas City Chiefs
  • Las Vegas Raiders
  • Los Angeles Rams
  • Miami Dolphins
  • Minnesota Vikings
  • New England Patriots
  • New Orleans Saints
  • New York Giants
  • New York Jets
  • Philadelphia Eagles
  • Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Los Angeles Chargers
  • San Francisco 49ers
  • Seattle Seahawks
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Tennessee Titans
  • Washington Commanders
• NBA
  • All NBA
  • WNBA
  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Boston Celtics
  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Detroit Pistons
  • Golden State Warriors
  • Houston Rockets
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • Milwaukee Bucks
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New York Knicks
  • Philadelphia 76ers
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Portland Trail Blazers
  • San Antonio Spurs
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Utah Jazz
  • Washington Wizards
• MLB
  • Today's MLB Trivia
  • All MLB
  • Arizona Diamondbacks
  • Atlanta Braves
  • Baltimore Orioles
  • Boston Red Sox
  • Chicago Cubs
  • Chicago White Sox
  • Cincinnati Reds
  • Cleveland Guardians
  • Colorado Rockies
  • Detroit Tigers
  • Houston Astros
  • Kansas City Royals
  • Los Angeles Dodgers
  • Milwaukee Brewers
  • Minnesota Twins
  • New York Mets
  • New York Yankees
  • Oakland Athletics
  • Philadelphia Phillies
  • Pittsburgh Pirates
  • San Diego Padres
  • San Francisco Giants
  • Seattle Mariners
  • St. Louis Cardinals
  • Tampa Bay Rays
  • Texas Rangers
  • Toronto Blue Jays
  • Washington Nationals
• CFB
  • All CFB
  • View team list
• CBB
  • Men’s CBB
  • Men’s Bracketology
  • Women’s CBB
  • View team list
• WNBA
  • All WNBA
  • Swish Appeal
  • Los Angeles Sparks
  • Minnesota Lynx
  • New York Liberty
  • Washington Mystics
• Soccer
  • Football Frenzy
  • All Soccer
  • English Premier League
  • Arsenal
  • Chelsea
  • Everton
  • Liverpool
  • Manchester City
  • Newcastle United
  • Tottenham Hotspur
  • Manchester United
  • German Bundesliga
  • Bayern Munich
  • Dortmund
  • Italian Serie A
  • AC Milan
  • Inter Milan
  • Juventus
  • AS Roma
  • Fiorentina
  • MLS
  • Spanish La Liga
  • Barcelona
  • Real Madrid
  • Atletico Madrid
  • Villarreal
  • Women’s Soccer
  • NWSL
  • Mexican Soccer
  • U.S. Soccer
  • Fantasy Soccer
  • View team list
• More

Navigation Drawer

• Login / Sign Up

closeCloseSearch

• VideoWatch
• PodcastListen
• In Five GamesPlay

• The Feed
• Breakaway
• BettingExpand
  • FanDuel Sportsbook Odds
  • FanDuel Daily Fantasy Sports
  • Betting Picks and Predictions
• NFLExpand
  • Today's NFL Trivia
  • All NFL
  • Fantasy Football
  • Arizona Cardinals
  • Atlanta Falcons
  • Baltimore Ravens
  • Buffalo Bills
  • Carolina Panthers
  • Chicago Bears
  • Cincinnati Bengals
  • Cleveland Browns
  • Dallas Cowboys
  • Denver Broncos
  • Detroit Lions
  • Green Bay Packers
  • Houston Texans
  • Indianapolis Colts
  • Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Kansas City Chiefs
  • Las Vegas Raiders
  • Los Angeles Rams
  • Miami Dolphins
  • Minnesota Vikings
  • New England Patriots
  • New Orleans Saints
  • New York Giants
  • New York Jets
  • Philadelphia Eagles
  • Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Los Angeles Chargers
  • San Francisco 49ers
  • Seattle Seahawks
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Tennessee Titans
  • Washington Commanders
• NBAExpand
  • All NBA
  • WNBA
  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Boston Celtics
  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Detroit Pistons
  • Golden State Warriors
  • Houston Rockets
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • Milwaukee Bucks
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New York Knicks
  • Philadelphia 76ers
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Portland Trail Blazers
  • San Antonio Spurs
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Utah Jazz
  • Washington Wizards
• MLBExpand
  • Today's MLB Trivia
  • All MLB
  • Arizona Diamondbacks
  • Atlanta Braves
  • Baltimore Orioles
  • Boston Red Sox
  • Chicago Cubs
  • Chicago White Sox
  • Cincinnati Reds
  • Cleveland Guardians
  • Colorado Rockies
  • Detroit Tigers
  • Houston Astros
  • Kansas City Royals
  • Los Angeles Dodgers
  • Milwaukee Brewers
  • Minnesota Twins
  • New York Mets
  • New York Yankees
  • Oakland Athletics
  • Philadelphia Phillies
  • Pittsburgh Pirates
  • San Diego Padres
  • San Francisco Giants
  • Seattle Mariners
  • St. Louis Cardinals
  • Tampa Bay Rays
  • Texas Rangers
  • Toronto Blue Jays
  • Washington Nationals
• CFBExpand
  • All CFB
  • View team list
• CBBExpand
  • Men’s CBB
  • Men’s Bracketology
  • Women’s CBB
  • View team list
• WNBAExpand
  • All WNBA
  • Swish Appeal
  • Los Angeles Sparks
  • Minnesota Lynx
  • New York Liberty
  • Washington Mystics
• SoccerExpand
  • Football Frenzy
  • All Soccer
  • English Premier League
  • Arsenal
  • Chelsea
  • Everton
  • Liverpool
  • Manchester City
  • Newcastle United
  • Tottenham Hotspur
  • Manchester United
  • German Bundesliga
  • Bayern Munich
  • Dortmund
  • Italian Serie A
  • AC Milan
  • Inter Milan
  • Juventus
  • AS Roma
  • Fiorentina
  • MLS
  • Spanish La Liga
  • Barcelona
  • Real Madrid
  • Atletico Madrid
  • Villarreal
  • Women’s Soccer
  • NWSL
  • Mexican Soccer
  • U.S. Soccer
  • Fantasy Soccer
  • View team list
• UFCExpand
  • MMA Fighting
  • MMA Fight Schedule
  • MMA Mania
• NHLExpand
  • All NHL
  • Boston Bruins
  • Carolina Hurricanes
  • Colorado Avalanche
  • New Jersey Devils
  • New York Islanders
  • Pittsburgh Penguins
• Golf
• F1
• Wrestling
• Boxing
• Secret Base Video
• Podcasts
• Newsletters
• Features
• Communities
• Product Updates & Ideas

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Threads
• Instagram
• Youtube
• RSS
• TikTok

SB NationSB Nation logoWhat is The Big 3 championship game everyone’s talking about?NotificationsNotifications

• General

What is The Big 3 championship game everyone’s talking about?

Ice Cube’s basketball league is picking up steam. Here’s what you need to know ahead of the championship game.

by Kristian WinfieldAug 24, 2018, 9:10 PM UTC

• Facebook
• Link

Photo by Ron Jenkins/BIG3/Getty Images

The Big 3 championship game will feature two powerhouse teams, Power and 3’s Company, taking the floor in a winner-takes-all 3-on-3 showdown at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Friday night.

You’ve probably heard of The Big 3 here and there. After all, there was a good amount of commotion this week when one of the league’s co-founders announced Kobe Bryant would be playing in The Big 3 next season. Kobe Inc.’s communications director shot that idea down with the quickness, but bringing an all-time great back to the hardwood would have created even more buzz about a growing league that’s revitalized some former NBA stars.

Related

• Kobe Bryant to the Big 3 probably isn’t happening anytime soon. Sorry, everyone

What is The Big 3?

In short: It’s a league to watch when the NBA Finals are over, but it’s slowly morphing into something bigger than that.

You know how traditional basketball games are 5-on-5, full-court? Well, The Big 3 is an eight-team, 3-on-3 league. Each team is comprised of six players — with one or two captains, a co-captain, plus a coach — and plays one game per week for eight weeks, jostling for playoff seeding.

The league was co-founded by Ice Cube and catered to recently retired NBA players. Guys like Amar’e Stoudemire, Nate Robinson, Corey Maggette, Baron Davis and Jermaine O’Neal are each competing, and Allen Iverson, Gary Payton and Nancy Lieberman coached this season.

This year, Chris ‘Birdman’ Anderson and Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis were new to the league, as were Davis, Stoudemire, Robinson, Metta World Peace, Carlos Boozer, Drew Gooden, Quentin Richardson and Dahntay Jones. It’s easy to believe that as more players wind down in their NBA careers, they will seek to extend their careers — and their pockets — playing in The Big 3.

Related

• The Big 3 is building something bigger than old guys playing basketball

So is this like a real league?

Yup. The eight teams play in 10 cities: Houston, Chicago, Oakland, Detroit, Miami, Toronto, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, and then the championship game in the best city in the world, Brooklyn, New York. Tickets start as low as $17 and the best ticket in the house for the championship game is currently on the resale market for $971.55 plus fees.

Each season begins with a draft, and the champions get to retain five players from the previous season. The base draft pick compensation in 2017 was $100,000, according to Bleacher Report, and 52 percent of all Big 3 profits are split among the eight competing teams.

When there’s a championship, there’s a prize, right?

Yup. The championship team splits 30 percent of that aforementioned 52 percent cut. The remaining seven teams share decreasing portions, with the last place team obviously receiving the smallest cut.

Well, who’s playing on Friday night?

The two teams competing for the championship are Power and 3’s Company. Here’s the roster breakdown:

Power

Corey MaggetteCuttino MobleyGlen ‘Big Baby’ DavisXavier SilasRyan GomesQuentin RichardsonChris ‘Birdman’ AndersonCoach: Nancy Lieberman

3’s Company

Demarr JohnsonBaron DavisDrew GoodenAndre EmmettJason MaxiellDahntay JonesCoach: Michael Cooper

There’s also the showdown for third place between 3 Headed Monsters and Tri State:

3 Headed Monsters

Rashard LewisReggie EvansMahmoud Abdul-RaufJamario MoonKwame BrownSalim StoudemireQyntel WoodsCoach: Gary Payton

vs,

Tri State

Jermaine O’NealAmar’e StoudemireNate RobinsonDavid HawkinsBonzi WellsRobert HiteCoach: Dr. J

How can I watch it?

If you’re in the New York City area, you can still buy a ticket to The Big 3 championship game, which tips off at 7 p.m. ET at Barclays Center. If not, you can watch on FOX, on Facebook or on the FOX Sports app.

See More:

• General

SB Nation Daily Roundup

A daily roundup of all your sports news

Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content From

This is the title for the native ad

More in General

Sep 28, 2025Marc Marquez completes a comeback for the agesSep 25, 2025How to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search resultsSep 3, 2025Streameast is shut down, but pirates are one step aheadAug 1, 2025The latest ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’ game features more awesome women than ever beforeJul 28, 2025Jerry Jones’ Micah Parsons comments show he still can’t help himselfJul 28, 2025Robert Carter Jr. makes the catch of the year on this stunning CFL interceptionGeneralSep 28, 2025GeneralSep 28, 2025Marc Marquez completes a comeback for the ages

MotoGP’s Marc Marquez completed a comeback for the ages with his 2025 title

By Mark SchofieldGeneralSep 25, 2025GeneralSep 25, 2025How to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search resultsBy James DatorGeneralSep 3, 2025GeneralSep 3, 2025Streameast is shut down, but pirates are one step ahead

The game of whack-a-mole continues.

By James DatorGeneralAug 1, 2025GeneralAug 1, 2025The latest ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’ game features more awesome women than ever before

Gone are the days where Elissa Steamer was the only playable woman in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video games. The latest is full of badass women.

By Mitchell NorthamGeneralJul 28, 2025GeneralJul 28, 2025Jerry Jones’ Micah Parsons comments show he still can’t help himself

The Cowboys’ Micah Parsons negotiations are taking a hit one Jerry Jones quip at a time

By Mark SchofieldGeneralJul 28, 2025GeneralJul 28, 2025Robert Carter Jr. makes the catch of the year on this stunning CFL interception

The NFL has six months to match what Robert Carter Jr. did in the CFL tonight

By Mark SchofieldAdvertiser Content From

This is the title for the native ad

The Latest

3:25 AM UTCTGL: Los Angeles Golf Club beats Jupiter Links in 8-4 matchJan 20Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones inducted to National Baseball Hall of FameJan 20Mike McDaniel withdraws from Cleveland Browns head coaching searchJan 20LPGA announces Chad Coleman as Chief Marketing OfficerJan 20College basketball’s 5 biggest storylines, 2 months before March MadnessJan 20UConn and Vanderbilt women’s basketball have more in common than being undefeated