— BIG3 Brings Professional Basketball To Tulsa, Oklahoma With Star-Studded Rosters Headed By Legendary Coaches In New Half Court 3-on-3 League —
— Ice Cube Thrills 10,000+ Fans With Surprise Halftime Performance of Classic Song It Was A Good Day —
(TULSA, OK) July 9, 2017 — BIG3 kicked off another week of highly competitive, professional 3-on-3 basketball at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sunday. The jam-packed day of basketball featured a coaching duel between Hall of Famers and Olympic Gold Medalists Clyde Drexler and Gary Payton. Chauncey Billups once again earned his “Mr. Big Shot” nickname draining a 4-point shot to put the game out of reach for Jermaine O’Neal’s Tri-State, Ricky Davis scored a game-high 23 points along with nine rebounds in Ghost Ballers’ victory, and Al Harrington’s stellar 70% shooting against Hall of Famer Allen Iverson’s 3’s Company pushed Trilogy over the top as the only remaining undefeated team in the league.
The incredible endurance of BIG3’s players and 3-on-3 format was showcased during Week 3, as game intensity continued to impress following outstanding competition at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center in Week 2 and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in Week 1.
Kicking off the day with signature BIG3 top-level play, Rashard Lewis and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf combined for 42 of the 3 Headed Monsters’ 50 points in a win over Power. Abdul-Rauf led with 22 points on 64% shooting from the field, contributing four 3-pointers and five assists as his team went on a 12 point run in the first half.
Sitting courtside, BIG3 co-founder and music legend Ice Cube added enthusiasm to the arena throughout the day, most notably during halftime of Game 4 when the crowd enticed him into an incredible performance of It Was A Good Day, bringing more than 10,000 fans to their feet and elevating energy levels to even greater heights for the rest of the game.
NBA MVP Russell Westbrook entered the BOK Center to thunderous MVP chants. Westbrook’s attendance during Week 3 coupled with James Harden’s stop in Brooklyn for BIG3’s inaugural Week 1 games ‒ the two leading finalists for the 2017 NBA MVP award ‒ is a testament to the quality of basketball and national appeal of the BIG3. Soon-to-be Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady also made his presence felt in Tulsa, sitting courtside and interacting with former teammates and opponents alike.
Many other sports and entertainment stars have been spotted enjoying BIG3 games in past weeks, including LL Cool J, Whoopi Goldberg, Paul Pierce, Steve Smith, Kemba Walker, Jalen Rose, Sam Cassell, D’Angelo Russell, Lou Williams, Anthony Hamilton and Naturi Naughton.
Displaying its commitment to local communities and providing long-lasting memories for kids, the day’s games were kicked off by an impressive rendition of the national anthem by #BIG3Choir contest winner Canterbury Youth Voices.
BIG3’s Week 3 games will air on Fox Sports 1 on Monday night (7/10) at 8pm ET. Week 4 will bring Hall of Famers Allen Iverson and Dr. J home to Philadelphia next Sunday, July 16 at the Wells Fargo Center.
See below for game summaries, stats, and video highlights from all four games.
GAME 1: 3 Headed Monsters (50) vs. Power (32)
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3 Headed Monsters opened Week 3 with a bang and delivered Power its first loss of the season. Power captain Cuttino Mobley scored 19 points and Jerome ‘Junk Yard Dog’ Williams grabbed 9 rebounds in the defeat. Following a 14 to 13 lead, 3 Headed Monsters went on a 12 point run to close out the half on the hot shooting of captain Rashard Lewis and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and never looked back. Abdul-Rauf finished with a game leading 22 points on 64% shooting from the field (9-14), including four 3-pointers and five assists, while Lewis finished the game with 20 points and six rebounds.
GAME 2: Killer 3s (51) vs. Tri-State (44)
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Game 2 featured a physical battle between the league’s two winless teams competing to make their mark on BIG3. Tri-State got off to a strong start behind the quickness and shooting of Mike James to take a nine point lead at the half. In the second half, a tenacious trio of Killer 3s fought their way back to overcome the early deficit and take home the win. Reggie Evans came up big with 12 points and 18 rebounds and co-captain Stephen Jackson used his size in the post to score 18 points, but it was captain Chauncey Billups who led the way and lived up to his nickname. With the game coming down to the final three possessions, Mr. Big Shot capped off a 22 point day with a huge 4-pointer. Tri-State’s captain Jermaine O’Neal returned to the floor with 10 points and seven rebounds while Mike James drained a 4-point shot and two 3-pointers on his way to a team high 18 points in the loss.
GAME 3: Ghost Ballers (50) vs. Ball Hogs (45)
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Just seven days after Ghost Ballers’ captain Mike Bibby delivered a dominant performance that earned him the league’s first Player of the Week recognition, co-captain Ricky Davis scored a game high 23 points along with nine rebounds in the Ghost Ballers victory. In the second half of the game, the Ghost Ballers were up by 11 points before the Ball Hogs stormed back with a 13 to 2 run to tie it up at 36. Despite three 3-pointers by the Ball Hogs’ Rasual Butler down the stretch, the combination of the Ghost Ballers’ Ivan Johnson and Ricky Davis proved to be too much for the Ball Hogs. Johnson had his best game of the season with 16 points and nine rebounds. Teammate Marcus Banks chipped in nine points of his own. In the loss, Rasual Butler led the Ball Hogs with 19 points while both Derrick Byers and co-captain Josh Childress contributed 10 points.
GAME 4: Trilogy (50) vs. 3’s Company (42)
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From slam dunks and spin moves to crossovers and 4-pointers, the final game of Week 3 brought it all for Tulsa fans. Trilogy co-captain Al Harrington continued his impressive start to the season with 18 points on 70% shooting from the field (7-10) to keep Trilogy atop the league standings as the lone undefeated team. Rashad McCants, BIG3’s number one overall draft pick, dropped 19 points on 66% shooting (8-12), including two 3-pointers. Teammate James White recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Andre Owens, BIG3’s number two overall draft pick, added 12 points and six rebounds and Dermarr Johnson contributed 16 points including two 3-pointers and two 4-pointers in the loss for 3’s Company.
BIG3 will bring over 40 basketball All-Stars like Allen Iverson, Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving, Clyde Drexler, Gary Payton, Chauncey Billups, Stephen Jackson and more to US cities throughout the country this summer, as the eight teams compete for the title of 2017 BIG3 Champions.
For more information and to sign up for news updates, visit www.BIG3.com.
