Top 10 Players in Ice Cube’s BIG3 League
Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league is set to take flight this summer. This three-on-three affair will see retired NBA players face each other in different cities.
It’s debatable on how receptive people will be of watching guys who haven’t played meaningful basketball in 5-10 years.
Even still, BIG3 does stand a chance of success and will have some interesting players.
According to Stephen Jackson, we can also expect some intense competition. He was quoted by ForTheWin as saying, “If we took 15 guys from this league, we could compete in the playoffs today.”
Okay, so it’s hard to see a world where guys like Brian Scalabrine, Cuttino Mobley, and Al Harrington can compete with playoff-caliber teams when they’ve been out of basketball this long.
Nevertheless, there are bound to be some talented players in the BIG3, including the 10 that we’ll discuss below.
1. Allen Iverson; PG on 3’s Company
Much of BIG3’s marketing hype has been centered on the fact that Allen Iverson will play in this league. And rightfully so, given that AI was a dynamic guard on both ends of the floor.
We rank him at the top for two reasons:
A) He still had game when he retired, averaging 13.9 PPG in 2010.
B) Iverson is 41 years old, which is actually in the lower age range for BIG3 players.
It’s likely that Iverson could’ve still played in the NBA, had he made a strong effort to do so in the mid-2010s. He should be more than capable of dominating his BIG3 competition.
2. Rashard Lewis; SF on 3 Headed Monsters
The last time Lewis was in an NBA uniform was 2014, when he was a role player on the Miami Heat. He appeared in 60 games, averaging 4.5 PPG and shooting 34.3% from the field.
At age 37, Lewis is one of the younger players in the league, and he’ll be one of the top scorers too.
3. Chauncey Billups; PG on Killer 3s
Unlike most BIG3 players, Chauncey Billups hasn’t been out of professional basketball for long. Billups last played with Detroit in the 2013-14 season, averaging 3.8 PPG.
We only have to go back to the 2011-12 campaign to see that Billups averaged 15.0 PPG with the Clippers. At 40 years old, the 6’3″ point guard is still young with regard to the competition.
4. Stephen Jackson; F on Killers 3s
After being drafted in the second round of the 1997 NBA Draft, Stephen Jackson had to work his way into the league. But after landing a roster spot in 2000, Jackson never looked back en route to a 14-year career.
Given that he’s one of the younger players at 39, and played in the NBA as recently as 2014, he should be primed and ready for BIG3. And it’ll help that he’ll have Billups passing him the ball.
5. Jason Williams; PG on 3 Headed Monsters
Much like he thrilled the basketball world during his 12-year career, Williams has stayed relevant with highlights from an Orlando pro-am league.
The 41-year-old still has the flashy moves that made him a sensation during stints with the Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, and Miami Heat.
6. Jermaine O’Neal; C on Tri-State
This 6’11” big man played nearly two decades in the NBA, retiring in 2014. And the amazing thing is that despite all the years he played, O’Neal is still only 38.
With a few years to rest after his lengthy playing career, O’Neal should be ready to show off the skills that made him a 6-time NBA All-Star.
7. Kenyon Martin; F on Trilogy
Martin doesn’t have all the accolades that some of the players on this list have, earning an All-Star bid just once. But he did carve out a 15-year career by being a versatile power forward, who was especially adept at blocking shots.
Martin last played for Milwaukee in 2015, so he shouldn’t have much trouble getting into shape.
8. Corey Maggette; G/F on Power
Although he was never an All-Star in his career, Maggette did average over 20 points in three different seasons during his NBA days.
Now 37 years old and having last played in 2013, Maggette will have youth on his side…at least in comparison to the BIG3 rosters.
9. Cuttino Mobley; G on Power
A late second-round pick of the Houston Rockets, Cuttino Mobley was an unlikely candidate to become a long-time NBA starter. But the 6’4″ shooting guard definitely exceeded expectations en route to averaging 16.0 PPG over his 11-year career.
Mobley averaged 13.9 PPG in his last season (2008-09) with the LA Clippers. And he was forced to retire due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, rather than going out because his skills had diminished.
10. Reggie Evans; F/C Killer 3s
With a career scoring average of 3.7 PPG, Reggie Evans didn’t last 13 seasons in the NBA because of his offensive skills. Instead, he had one of the highest rebounding rates per minute in NBA history (7.1 RPG in 19 MPG).
Evans is also a tenacious defender who serves as a good compliment to Billups and Jackson on the Killer 3s. At 36 years old, Evans is the youngest player on this list.