Like many other aspects of life, sports have been put on hold as the coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen around the world. With almost every major sports league having canceled or postponed play over the past few weeks, the BIG3 is hoping to give basketball fans something to look forward to in the very near future.
The BIG3 is planning to host a three-on-three tournament in April that will feature players who have tested negative for the coronavirus, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports. The idea, which is being discussed by BIG3 founders Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz, would be to have 16-22 players who have tested negative for COVID-19 take part in a tourney that would air on television. The players would quarantine in Los Angeles prior to playing in order to be sure they don’t contract the coronavirus.
According to Haynes, the plans involve a house and on-site training facility that would be built by the BIG3. Players who are taking part in the tournament would have to follow quarantine procedures in the home and would be eliminated from the event if they broke quarantine at any point. The games and the daily lives of the players would be featured in a reality TV-style show.
“As long as we can protect the players, which we will do through proper testing and quarantine, Ice Cube and I feel we can give fans some safe, entertaining brand of basketball to get everyone through this pandemic,” Kwatinetz told Yahoo Sports. “Cube and I have been in the entertainment business for 30 years. This is our job. People want to be entertained with all we’re going through and enjoy our sports. We think this will help.”
It is expected to be several more weeks before the NBA, NBA, NHL and other leagues can resume play. The NBA is supposedly exploring a similar event to the one the BIG3 is discussing, so there’s a chance we may actually see some sort of exhibition before “real” sports resumes.
The BIG3 has gained popularity in recent years and has featured many notable former NBA players including Rashard Lewis, Chauncey Billups, Mike Bibby and Stephen Jackson.
