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The NBA is obviously the gold standard for professional basketball leagues, and there aren’t any organizations on the planet that come close to attracting the kind of talent (or generating the amount of money) it boasts. However, the league could be in hot water thanks to allegations concerning an upstart in the form of the Big3.
In 2017, Ice Cube teamed up with longtime business partner Jeff Kwatinetz to launch the Big3, which attempted to set itself apart with the 3-on-3 halfcourt format that was also added into the fold at the Summer Olympics when the event was held in Tokyo.
The Big3 managed to attract a number of players who made a name for themselves in the NBA. Its coaching ranks are home to former stars including Julius Erving, Gary Payton, and Gilbert Arenas, and Nick Young, Jason Richardson, and Michael Beasley are just some of the many veterans who’ve taken their talents to the touring circuit.
The Big3 never set out to go head-to-head with the NBA, as its primary goal was to give basketball fans an alternative fix in the offseason. It’s basically the same approach the XFL has adopted, but much like that organization has struggled to find its footing, its spiritual hardwood sibling hasn’t managed to drum up a ton of hype—a reality that’s now managed to attract the attention of the federal government.
According to TMZ, the Department of Justice is currently investigating the NBA to see if it violated anti-trust laws in an attempt to keep the Big3 from encroaching on its territory.
The outlet reports Ice Cube and Kwatinetz met with the DOJ earlier this year to discuss the anti-competitive behavior they accuse the NBA of engaging in, saying there are concerns the league told owners not to invest in the Big3, informed players they could not play there in the offseason (which does seem fairly reasonable), and dissuaded television networks from inking any broadcast deals.
An NBA spokesperson issued a statement that reads “We have been supportive of the Big3 since its inception, but we declined to invest,” and while it’s a bit hard to believe there will be any major ramifications in the long run, it’s still a story that’s worth keeping an eye on.