Big3 holds combine, draft in Las Vegas as league looks toward ninth season

LAS VEGAS – When Ice Cube and business partner Jeff Kwatinetz founded Big3 in 2017, there was plenty of skepticism regarding whether or not an alternative 3 v. 3 basketball league could survive in the global hoops ecosystem. The concept of bringing former NBA players out of retirement was certainly fresh and the familiar faces behind the operation gave reason for optimism, but starting a competitive professional sports league in the modern day is a feat that had often proved insurmountable. 

As the league now approaches its ninth season, it’s safe to say it has more momentum than at any other time in its near-decade long history. Not only has a fresher, more notable crop of retired NBA superstars have boosted the league’s profile amongst more casual fans, but the league has also discovered alternative methods of finding the best under-the-radar talent that may have been overlooked by the league entirely. 

Hall of Fame Pedigree

Those methods were on display during Big3’s annual draft held at Fontainebleau’s Club Liv, which was preceded by a three-hour combine across town featuring 120 players who traveled from across the country for a chance to try and break into the league. With only 14 selections in the draft, it’s certainly an uphill battle, but a small consolation prize for the many who didn’t get selected was the chance to play in front of a who’s who of NBA legends, including Big 3 commissioner Clyde Drexler and “The Iceman” George Gervin, who’s an established coach in the league. 

The most notable ex-NBA superstar currently in the league is Dwight Howard, who announced his surprise return to the LA Riot this week after previously announcing his retirement from professional basketball this past winter. Howard instantly brought fireworks to The Big 3 last summer when he got into a fistfight with Lance Stephenson during his first game, giving the league arguably its most viral moment of all-time. While Howard will likely have a few more viral moments this season, the most important part of the league in his eyes is the opportunities that Ice Cub has afforded both former NBA players as well as up-and-comers in different hoop scenes. 

“It’s amazing being part of this league, with Ice Cube,” Howard said. “The opportunities that he’s given to a lot of young men and players who’ve finished their careers in the NBA is amazing. This is just an amazing opportunity and I’m glad to be a part of it.” 

Different paths to the league

As co-captain of the Riot, Howard was on hand at the combine to personally scout and give his input on who his team should select for the upcoming season. While he certainly could have made the call to one of his more established ex-NBA buddies, Howard took a shot on former 5-star HS recruit Billy Preston with the ninth overall pick after Preston stood head and shoulders above the rest at Thursday’s combine with his red-hot shooting stroke and explosive finishing at the rim. 

The most notable up-and-comer in the Big 3 today is 1 v. 1 streetball sensation Nasir Core, who became an impact player with the runner-up Chicago Triplets last season after he was selected 10th overall following a prolific performance during the 2025 combine. In the year since Core first made his way into the league, he’s become the undisputed king of the streetball space and has even gotten the attention of NBA current stars after his callout of Austin Rivers and his demolition of Gerald Green at a 1 v. 1 event in Houston. 

Core, who averaged 4.9 points per game at Florida A&M in his lone collegiate season, has been the lightning rod of the conversation surrounding whether or not the online hoops scene is legit or a gimmick. There’s certainly a bit of a fraternity battle brewing between the streetball hoopers and the NBA hoopers online, so it adds an entirely new level of intrigue to the league this season to see how that growing tension manifests itself in the form of 3 v. 3.