This sports team is in a league of its own!
ByBlack and the US Black Chambers have officially acknowledged BIG3 as a Black-owned sports league.
Founded in 2017, BIG3 is a 3-on-3 basketball league started by Ice Cube and Entertainment Executive Jeff Kwatinetz. It’s made up of 12 teams and includes All-Stars, Hall of Famers, and World Champions. This year, they wrapped up their fifth season with the biggest win of all: BIG3 was officially named the first and only Black-owned sports league.
We are thrilled to announce we have been officially certified as the first Black-Owned Professional Sports League in the United States. https://t.co/baMqlhDFIp
— BIG3 (@thebig3) October 14, 2022
Ice Cube spoke on this feat saying, “Myself and the entire league are honored to be officially certified by ByBlack and the US Black Chambers. From day one, the league has been dedicated to providing opportunities for Black players, fans, investors, and partners, and we are proud to be a part of a nationwide network of Black business owners. Supporting Black enterprise is a lifelong passion of mine, and the BIG3 will continue to build upon its successes and lift up other Black entrepreneurs.”
ByBlack is a nonprofit organization that “aims to develop solutions to the generational problems of the Black economic agenda.” Overall, they want to use this platform to create economic opportunities for Black people. The USBC is committed to providing “visionary leadership and advocacy in the realization of economic empowerment. Through the creation of resources and initiatives, we support African American Chambers of Commerce and business organizations in their work of developing and growing Black enterprises.”
CEO and President of USBC Ron Busby Sr. said, “USBC is energized by the BIG3 basketball league becoming a certified ByBlack business. This is the first step of what we deem to be a fruitful partnership, with Ice Cube’s commitment to helping other Black-owned businesses get ByBlack certified. We applaud Ice Cube for leading the way in this initiative and it is our goal to continue this partnership by collaborating with Ice Cube, BIG3, and other Black-owned businesses in the sports and entertainment industry.”
The actor and rapper is also making moves off the court, recently scoring a partnership with NFL through his contract with Black America Institute. With these partnerships, he plans to further the growth of Black-owned businesses. The two organizations will focus on helping Black founders build lasting equity in the finance and technology industries. The BIG3 has already started making moves in the technology industry, introducing a specialized 3-on-3 shot-tracking software called Heat Vision. Powered by Microsoft Azure and Noah Basketball Analytics, this tracker gives players real-time data on every single shot’s arc, rotation, and depth.
To learn more about this sports league and the upcoming 2023 season, visit the BIG3 website here.
We can’t wait to see more from BIG3!
Photo: Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images for BIG3