Since its establishment in 2017, the 3×3 basketball league founded by hip-hop icon Ice Cube has experienced continuous growth. The 55-year-old has effectively overseen a basketball league in a setting where the NBA holds a dominant position. Cube recently disclosed how the notion of managing a league first occurred to him.
In an interview with Jeff Teague for the Club 520 Podcast, Cube talked about how his league was founded on his remorse at missing the final Lakers game played by the legendary Kobe Bryant. Additionally, he disclosed that while he had considered creating a 3×3 league, Kobe’s retirement prompted him to move rapidly on his ideas.
Ice Cube speaks about how Kobe Bryant inspired Big 3
Cube is a devoted fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and was born in Los Angeles. It is evident that the man who stood in for his team for twenty years held great significance for him. Cube wanted to be present for Kobe’s final game, where he scored 60 points, in order to make it unforgettable for all of the supporters.
Regretfully, Cube was in Atlanta at the time filming a film. He uttered:
“You know, seeing Kobe score 60 points in his last game, I was kinda hot, I missed the game…then I was like, damn, I started just the realization of, I can’t see this dude hoop no more. I cannot go nowhere and pay to see this dude play and that’s some bullsh*t. So, I was like, man, there’s got to be a way. Now, I’m starting to think of this idea I had in the back of my head for years about 3×3.”
Cube worked on his idea throughout the remainder of 2016. He claimed to have begun working out how to take basketball from its 3×3 format to a professional level and how to carry out his league’s plan in a way that sets it apart from the NBA.
