With the inaugural BIG3 Championship game set for Saturday, Aug. 26, FOX Sports today announces it has extended its media rights agreement with the BIG3, the professional 3-on-3 basketball league co-founded by Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz. The announcement was made today by FOX Sports Head of Business Operations David Nathanson.
“We think we have something great with the BIG3 and are thrilled to add another year to our partnership,” said Nathanson. “In its inaugural year, the league provided competitive, entertaining basketball that really resonated with fans, as evidenced by its television ratings on FS1 and packed arenas across the country.”
Throughout the course of the season, the BIG3 attracted a high level of attention from media, fans and celebrities thanks to an impressive roster of basketball superstars, headlined by player captains such as Allen Iverson, Kenyon Martin, Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Rashard Lewis and Chauncey Billups; along with coaches including Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Gary Payton, Charles Oakley, Clyde Drexler, George Gervin, Rick Barry and Rick Mahorn.
“Working with FOX Sports for another season is an opportunity we are very excited about,” said Ice Cube. “The network understands that the BIG3 is about competitive, hard-nosed, compelling basketball and they’ve been a great partner to work with during our inaugural season. Our shared vision makes this partnership an ideal fit.”
The BIG3 crowns its inaugural champion live on Saturday, Aug. 26 at 4:30 PM ET on the FOX broadcast network, as undefeated Trilogy, captained by Kenyon Martin and Al Harrington, takes on the No. 2 seed 3 Headed Monsters, led by player captain Rashard Lewis and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
For more news and information on the BIG3, please visit FOX Sports Press Pass.
About FS1
FS1 launched on August 17, 2013 in approximately 90 million homes and boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually. The channel has several pillar sports: college basketball and football, MLB, NASCAR, NFL (ancillary programs), international soccer, Bundesliga, UFC, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and USGA. Major events televised on FS1 include the U.S. Open, MLB Postseason, the FIFA 2018 and 2022 World Cup and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019. Original programs include: SKIP AND SHANNON: UNDISPUTED; SPEAK FOR YOURSELF; THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD; GARBAGE TIME WITH KATIE NOLAN; NASCAR RACE HUB; MLB WHIPAROUND; THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER; UFC TONIGHT; INSIDE THE BIG EAST and more. FOX Sports GO, an authenticated live streaming platform that serves as the channel’s digital extension, is carried on a number of connected devices including: Apple TV, Android TV, Roku and XBOX among others. The app offers more than 1,100 live games and events from cross FOX Sports, FS1, FS2 and FOX Sports’ 22 regional sports networks, as well as scores, highlights, news, stats and analysis.