Getty Joe Johnson
The world is missing basketball and several other things it has become accustomed to and taken for granted. Ice Cube and the Big 3 are apparently set to try to do its part to supply basketball junkies with their fix during this trying time across the world, and specifically in the United States.
Ice Cube and the Big 3’s Plan to Supply the World with Live Hoops
On Thursday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported Cube and Big 3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz are in talks with TV networks in hopes of getting the event broadcasted and/or streamed.
Per Haynes, the event would be a reality-TV style three-on-three tournament with players who have tested negative for the virus, and who have to be quarantined in a mansion in Los Angeles to participate. The production crew would be in a different location.
“As long as we can protect the players, which we will do through proper testing and quarantine, Ice cube and I feel we can give fans some safe, entertaining brand of basketball to get everyone through this pandemic,” Kwatinetz told Yahoo Sports. “Cube and I have been in the entertainment business for 30 years. This is our job. People want to be entertained with all we’re going through and enjoy our sports. We think this will help.”
Ice Cube chimed in with a short and to the point post:
If there’s a will, there’s a way…
Plan Specifics for the Big 3 Quarantined Tournament
The tournament will feature as many as 22 players from the Big 3 with names like Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, and Greg Oden mentioned as possibilities. Still, there are several details that haven’t been finalized.
Preliminarily, a basketball court will be built on-site, and any player who breaks quarantine would be disqualified from participation. To satisfy the reality-TV portion of the concept, the players’ daily lives and such will be captured and included in the broadcast.
There will be seven rounds of games, but the players will not have the same teammates for every contest. When one player takes three losses, no matter the teammate combination, he is eliminated.
The format would be an interesting one that would be a mixture of individual and team competition. At the end of the event, a single winner will be crowned, and there will also be a second and third-place placing. Those who place in first, second or third will receive cash prizes said to be in the millions.
Potential Backlash
Some professional organizations have been criticized for making an effort to continue to operate in the face of the sanctions created by the Coronavirus, while some applaud the break from a less than convenient reality. It would interesting if the NBA and other sports leagues wind up using some aspects of the Big 3’s blueprint for this contest as a means to restart their seasons down the road. Let’s all hope and pray it doesn’t come to that.