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Rap legend and co-founder and CEO of the BIG3 basketball league, Ice Cube, has issued a challenge to the gold medal winners of the 2024 Paris Olympics 3×3 basketball competition. During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Ice Cube expressed his confidence in the talent within the BIG3 league and proposed a high-stakes exhibition game between the Olympic champions and the best players from the BIG3.
Ice Cube’s challenge comes amid Team USA’s unexpected struggles in the 3×3 basketball competition at the Paris Olympics. The men’s team, featuring players like Jimmer Fredette and Canyon Barry, have already been eliminated in the early stages of the tournament. Ice Cube believes that the BIG3 players, many of whom are former NBA stars, represent the best 3×3 talent in the world and should be included in future Olympic competitions.
To make the challenge even more enticing, Pat McAfee offered to put up $100,000 for the winning team, with Ice Cube pledging to cover all expenses and add additional prize money. The proposed game is set to take place before the BIG3’s championship game in Boston on August 18.
Ice Cube’s challenge highlights ongoing tensions between the BIG3 league and traditional basketball institutions like the NBA and FIBA. The BIG3 league, known for its unique 3-on-3 format and roster of former NBA players, has not been sanctioned by FIBA, which sets the criteria for Olympic 3×3 basketball participation. Ice Cube argues that this exclusion is due to politics and pettiness, preventing the best American players from competing on the global stage.
Whether the eventual Olympic gold medalists will accept Ice Cube’s challenge remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the BIG3 is ready to prove its mettle on the court.
Ice Cube challenges the future gold medal winners of the Olympic men’s 3v3 tournament to play against the Big 3 all-stars
He is offering to pay for their flight and hotel, and also provide them with cash
( @Ballislife )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 5, 2024
