The BIG3 made its anticipated debut on Sunday. In front of a crowd of 15,177 fans at Barclays Center, there were four games that featured all eight BIG3 teams.
Each game is up to 60, but teams must win by two. One exciting addition to the game is the four-point shot, which will add some intrigue to the games.
Celebrities and NBA stars such as James Harden, LL Cool J, Paul Pierce, and Whoopi Goldberg were in Brooklyn to watch the action.
Rapper/actor ICE CUBE is one of the founders of the BIG3.
Here is a recap of Sunday’s games:
GAME 1: 3 Headed Monsters (62) vs. Ghost Ballers (60)
In the historic first BIG3 game ever, 3 Headed Monsters earned the first win in league history when Rashard Lewis completed a game-winning three-point play. Lewis was fouled on a made basket and followed with a one-point free throw to secure the 62-60 win. Lewis also made BIG3 history when he hit the first ever four-point shot in the second half to give 3 Headed Monsters a 40-31 lead.
Lewis finished with a BIG3 league-leading 27 points while Kwame Brown recorded a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Ricky Davis paced the Ghost Ballers with 23 point on 7-19 shooting. Mike Bibby contributed 12 points, including two four-point shots made.
Jason ‘White Chocolate” Williams, who plays for the 3 Headed Monsters, left the game with right leg injury. Williams is expected to be fine.
GAME 2: Power (62) vs. Tri-State (58)
With Power leading by one, DeShawn Stevenson nailed a game winning three-pointer to give Power its first win. Stevenson scored a game high 20 points in 18 minutes on 7-16 shooting with 5-10 from three, while Jerome ‘Junk Yard Dog’ Williams notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, Corey Maggette added 15. In the loss, Jermaine O’Neal paced Tri-State with 18 points. Mike James notched a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Power’s Corey Maggette left the game with a leg injury. Maggette is expected to be okay.
GAME 3: 3’s Company (61) vs. Ball Hogs (51)
In the most highly anticipated game of the day, NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson made his return to the court as Player Captain and Coach to lead his team to a 61-51 victory over the Ball Hogs. With a sea of fans wearing Iverson jerseys, The Answer drew the biggest cheers of the day. Iverson finished with 2 points on 1-6 from the field.
3’s Company’s Andre Owens stole the show with 20 points to match his jersey number and 15 rebounds. After the game, Iverson praised Owens and said he told him before the game to use his chance on the BIG3 stage to show the fans his game. In the loss, the Ball Hogs’ Rasual Butler poured in a game-high 22 points.
GAME 4: Trilogy (60) vs. Killer 3’s (45)
In the game that featured Charles Oakley’s return to New York, Stephen Jackson and Rashad McCants over delivered on two fan-favorite aspects of the BIG3: highly physical basketball and free flowing trash talk.
Al Harrington led all scorers with 25 points and closed out the day in impressive fashion with a turnaround, fadeaway jump shot to push Trilogy to the 60-point win threshold. Reggie Evans led the Killer 3’s with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
