What a fun time it was last night covering Ice Cube’s Big 3 tournament over at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. This was my first time learning of this basketball event that is organized by a 3-on-3 pro basketball league founded by Ice Cube that features All-Stars, Hall of Famers and World Champions.
NBA legends like Julius Erving, Clyde Drexler, The Iceman, and Gary Payton were all in attendance, as well as other players like Rashad McCants of the Twolves, Metta World Peace, and mega Bay Area legend from the Oakland Warriors, Baron Davis.
And if that wasn’t enough, musical legends were there too and treated fans to some epic performances. Mistah F.A.B. kicked things off, followed by local heroes Too Short and E-40.
Ice Cube, who is pictured above, was in the house with his son O’Shea Jackson (who recently starred in the biopic on N.W.A, the iconic rap band founded by his father). LL Cool J was all smiles hanging out on the sidelines and taking photos with fans. And Hollywood superstar and genuinely nice guy Michael Rapaport was hosting the event.
This was my first time watching 3-on-3 basketball and let me tell you, it was a lot of fun. The game is much faster paced and exciting than regular NBA. It’s similar to watching street hoops but with some legendary athletes in the mix. Check out a photo gallery of the event below and be sure to catch The Big Three Friday nights live on FS1 at 4 PM PDT/7 PM EST.
Photos by Louis Raphael
[envira-gallery id=”10593″]
