Ice Cube is making major moves as the BIG3 basketball league plans to expand to Houston and Miami. The league, known for its innovative 3-on-3 format, is shifting from hosting games on the road to establishing permanent bases across the country. Teams are now up for sale and open to investments.
“We need to plant our roots in cities so we can be more than a rolling all-star game coming through,” the N.W.A alum said after the first team was sold for $10 million in Los Angeles earlier this year. “It’s really about growing the sport and the league.”
On Wednesday, July 3, Bloomberg reported that moguls Eric Mullins and Milton Carroll acquired a third team that will be based in Houston. Last month, businessman Heath Freeman purchased the rights to a franchise in Miami for the same amount. Freeman is set to take over the Miami franchise for the 2025 season.
“I am honored to join Ice Cube and [co-founder] Jeff Kwatinetz at the BIG3 and bring a new professional basketball team to Miami,” Freeman said. “BIG3 is shaping the future of basketball; the gameplay is dynamic and nuanced, and the product on the court appeals to the audiences in this incredibly fast-growing region. Basketball fans across South Florida can rest assured that this franchise will soon add to our great region’s winning sports pedigree.”
Before these deals, Cube and Kwatinetz offered rising star Caitlin Clark $5 million to join the league. However, she was picked by the Indiana Fever during the 2024 WNBA draft, securing a four-year contract reportedly worth around $338,000.
In an open letter shared on Ice Cube’s website, Kwatinetz and Cube accused Clark’s agents of not sharing the offer with her, suggesting they work for the “NBA mob.” They claimed the BIG3 offer included $10 million over two years, a percentage of team ownership, merchandising revenues, and ownership of a BIG3 documentary, totaling over $15 million.
Clark appeared to dismiss the offer, stating, “To be honest, I found out about the BIG3 thing at the exact time you all did, and my main focus is on just playing basketball. I honestly don’t talk about those things with really anybody. I have other people that deal with it, and they haven’t said a word to me about it. My main focus is on this team and helping us find a way to beat Colorado and hopefully win another one after that.”
