BIG3 AND FOX SPORTS ANNOUNCE 2018 PLAYER COMBINE AND DRAFT
Player Combine on April 11; Live Draft Airing April 12 on FS1
FOX Sports will broadcast the BIG3 2018 Player Draft on Thursday, April 12, 8-10 p.m. ET, following the league’s Player Combine on Wednesday, April 11. The draft will air live on FS1 and the FOX Sports GO and FOX Sports apps, incorporating footage from the previous day’s combine, where nearly 100 players will vie for 19 available roster spots. The combine takes place at Santa Monica College (Calif.) followed by the 2018 BIG3 Player Draft at FOX Studios.
“The BIG3’s inaugural season showed everyone that we are all about competitive, 3-on-3 basketball being played at the highest level,” said BIG3 co-Founder and co-CEO Ice Cube. “Players know that to dominate in the league, you’re going to have to go hard and earn your buckets. It’s that level of intensity that has attracted so many talented new players this season. With over 100 guys in the draft pool competing for 19 roster spots, there are absolutely no guarantees. I’m looking forward to seeing who puts on a show and rises above the rest.”
Six of the BIG3’s eight teams will fill three remaining roster spots at the BIG3 Draft. Per BIG3 rules, the championship team, Trilogy, must keep its existing roster to defend the title. 3 Headed Monsters, the 2017 Runner-up, exercised the option to keep two original draft players, and chose to retain Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Kwame Brown, and will send Eddie Basden back into the draft pool.
BIG3 expanded its 2018 season team rosters from five to six players, adding a second co-captain to each team. Ron Artest, Amar’e Stoudemire, Nate Robinson, Baron Davis, Carlos Boozer and Drew Gooden have been announced as co-captains.
“The BIG3 is bold and different, and we’ll showcase that energy throughout our live broadcasts,” says John Entz, President, FOX Sports Production and Executive Producer, FOX Sports. “In season two, we’ll focus on both the preseason tip-off moments and on-court matchups that accelerate the league.”
The 2018 BIG3 Draft pool comprises players from the 2017 inaugural BIG3 season and newly signed players, including Jerome Williams, Lee Nailon, Marcus Banks, Mo Evans, Al Thornton, DeShawn Stevenson, Joe Smith, Brian Cook, Moochie Norris, Mike James, Mike Sweetney, Larry Hughes, Kendall Gill, Xavier Silas, Andre Owens, Jannero Pargo, Keith Bogans, Tyrus Thomas, Quentin Richardson, Eddy Curry, Greg Oden, Smush Parker, Morris Peterson and Jonathan Bender.
The BIG3 recently announced the 2018 season schedule, unveiling several new stops including Houston, Oakland, Detroit, Miami, Toronto, Boston, and Atlanta. The 10-week season will tip off in Houston, Texas on June 22 at the Toyota Center. For more information about the league, visit www.BIG3.com. All games will be broadcast on FOX and FS1 as well as streaming on FOX Sports GO and FOX Sports apps
