LOS ANGELES - - — When O’Shea Jackson, better known as Ice Cube, looks back at the different chapters of his career, basketball has always been somewhere in the background.
Before he became one of the most influential figures in Hip Hop, before Friday became a cultural phenomenon and before he helped create the BIG3, Cube was a kid in Los Angeles watching his father and older brother, CJ, play basketball at home.
Eventually, watching wasn't enough.
Cube joined them on the court and quickly discovered that he could hold his own.
That early connection to basketball eventually became something much bigger.
Nearly a decade after he and Jeff Kwatinetz launched the BIG3 in 2017, Cube has helped turn an idea built around professional 3-on-3 basketball into a growing sports and entertainment league that combines former NBA stars, music, culture and an experience designed to bring fans closer to the athletes.
But the foundation of the BIG3 can be traced back to Cube's lifelong relationship with the game.
His love for basketball began at home, watching his father and brother play and eventually becoming part of those games himself. That experience helped shape the way he viewed basketball by not just seeing it simply as a professional sport, but as something that could bring people together.
Years later, Cube found himself looking at the sport through a different lens.
He had played in the NBA Entertainment League and understood what it felt like to compete in a basketball environment where the game was about more than simply watching from the stands.
He also saw an opportunity in the growing popularity of 3-on-3 basketball.
Cube had watched companies such as Nike and Mountain Dew embrace 3-on-3 events and began asking a simple question: Why couldn't that format become a professional product?
The idea eventually became the BIG3.
But Cube's vision was about more than creating another basketball league.
He wanted to create an opportunity for NBA players who still loved the game but no longer wanted to commit to the physical demands of an 82-game NBA season and full-court basketball.
That vision became even clearer after one particular moment involving Kobe Bryant.
Cube remembered missing Bryant's legendary 60-point performance in the final game of his NBA career due to the shooting of the movie, ‘Fist Fight’ alongside Charlie Day.
While watching what he had missed, Cube began thinking about the former NBA players who could still play at a high level but no longer had a realistic avenue to compete professionally.
Why couldn't there be a league where those players could continue playing the game they loved without having to endure the demands of an NBA schedule?
The BIG3 became the answer.
The league's half-court format provided former NBA players with an opportunity to remain competitive while creating a different style of basketball for fans.
But Cube believes the league's impact can extend well beyond entertainment.
During our conversation, he spoke passionately about the BIG3's potential impact on the future of international basketball, including the Olympics.
Cube believes BIG3 athletes should have an opportunity to represent their country and has gone as far as challenging the Olympic gold medal team to play against the BIG3's worst team.
His argument is rooted in the belief that the league's players are still capable of competing at an extremely high level.
For Cube, the Olympics should recognize that talent and consider giving BIG3 players an opportunity to showcase their abilities on the international stage.
As the league just wrapped up its ninth season on August 22nd, Cube's focus has shifted toward what comes next.
He isn't interested in simply maintaining what the BIG3 has already built.
He wants to make it bigger.
Cube discussed expanding into more states, increasing the number of games and continuing to introduce the league to new markets across the United States. But the vision doesn't stop there.
International expansion is also part of the plan.
Cube wants to take the BIG3 to more countries and continue building an international audience around the unique brand of basketball the league has created.
His philosophy is simple: keep pushing forward and "fan the flames."
That mindset is also evident when Cube imagines what the ultimate BIG3 team could look like.
Asked to create a three-man squad using Lakers legends, his selections represented three of the most iconic players in franchise history: Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
The combination speaks to Cube's appreciation for different eras of Lakers basketball and the type of talent that can make three-on-three basketball so compelling.
Magic's passing and vision.
Kobe's competitiveness and scoring.
Shaq's physical dominance.
It is the kind of trio that illustrates why Cube believes the BIG3 format can continue attracting attention from basketball fans.
But basketball is only one part of Cube's larger entrepreneurial philosophy.
His career has always crossed the boundaries between music, entertainment, film, business and sports.
For Cube, those worlds have never been completely separate.
He pointed to something Snoop Dogg once said that has stayed with him: "Sports without music is just a game."
That philosophy is one of the reasons Hip Hop remains such an important component of the BIG3.
The league isn't simply about putting former NBA players on a basketball court.
It is designed to be a cultural experience.
Music, Hip Hop artists, entertainment and basketball exist alongside one another, creating what Cube describes as more of a family affair.
That connection also extends to the fans.
Cube wants the BIG3 to remain accessible, with affordable tickets and an environment where fans can get closer to the players than they traditionally can at an NBA game.
The athletes are approachable.
The experience is personal.
And the goal is to make fans feel like they are part of something rather than simply spectators.
That philosophy is particularly important to Cube because his ambitions for the BIG3 extend beyond basketball itself.
When asked what he still wants to accomplish, his answer wasn't centered around another personal milestone.
He wants to do more for the people.
That means continuing to build the BIG3 into something bigger and better and creating a product that fans can enjoy during the periods when the NFL and NBA aren't in season.
For Cube, the opportunity is to create another destination for sports fans while giving former professional basketball players another chance to compete.
What began as a conversation between Cube and Kwatinetz about the possibilities of 3-on-3 basketball has become a league with ambitions that continue to grow.
But perhaps the most personal part of the conversation came at the end.
As two people who grew up in Los Angeles, we spoke about what it takes to chase a dream from communities where opportunities aren't always guaranteed.
Cube's advice was simple but powerful: stay consistent and persistent.
The message reflects much of his own career.
From Los Angeles and Hip Hop to Hollywood, business and professional sports, Cube has continued finding new ways to evolve without losing the connection to where he came from.
Now, as the BIG3 moves toward its 10th season, he is still thinking about what comes next.
More states, more games, more international opportunities and more basketball.
And ultimately, more opportunities for people to enjoy the game and culture that he has spent years helping build.
For Ice Cube, the BIG3 was never simply about creating another basketball league.
It was about taking something he loved, finding a need in the marketplace and building something that could belong to the people.
Nine seasons later, he isn't looking back at what the BIG3 has accomplished.
He's looking ahead at what it can become.