The BIG3 has its fair share of big men who will be crashing the boards when the new professional 3-on-3 league tips off on June 25 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Kenyon Martin and Charles Oakley are two guys who definitely stand out. Those two won’t face each other until Aug. 13, when Martin’s Trilogy plays Oakley’s Killer 3s at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The question is: Will Kmart and Oak go head-to-head before the season even begins?
That seemed to be the case when these guys got to trash-talking during a BIG3 practice Monday in Long Beach. Calif.
The confrontation was caught on camera while Martin was talking to Michael Rapaport, who will be a sideline reporter for FOX Sports/FS1 during BIG3 telecasts.
“I’m in better shape than you,” Kmart barked at Oakley.
“Alright,” said Oak, “let’s play 3-on-3 then.”
Kmart suggests they go 1-on-1, and then told Oakley, “Bring your wallet and put your money where your mouth is, Oak.”
To which Oakley replied: “I got big-boy pants on.”
Kmart and Oak both bring to the table a strong competitive fire and supreme toughness, so it’s easy to see how they might butt heads. Martin, Trilogy’s captain, is 14 years younger than Oakley, who is player/coach of the Killer 3’s. Martin’s first two seasons in the NBA (2000-02) were Oakley’s last two full seasons in the league, so there’s not much history to go by.
So who comes out on top in this matchup?
“My money would be on Oak in that 1-on-1 battle,” said Skip Bayless earlier this week on FS1’s Undisputed.
Of course, Bayless might have been saying that because his guest at the time was Oakley – who did not back down on the idea of beating Martin head-to-head.
“That’s why I work out,” Oakley told Bayless and his Undisputed co-host Shannon Sharpe. “For people who look at me, because I got gray hair … I’m letting you know, what’s under this shirt is a big heart. I told him I’m ready. And I was ready to go.”
Chances are we won’t know who has the upper hand until they meet on Aug. 13 in a 3-on-3 game. But it’s worth asking: Who would win a 1-on-1?