Boston will get its own BIG3 team — the Ball Hogs — and it will be coached by NBA legend and former Celtics guard, Gary Payton.
Payton spent the 2004-05 season with the Celtics. He averaged 11.3 points, 6.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 77 games. He won an NBA title in 2006 with the Miami Heat.
Payton was also the BIG3’s Coach of the Year for last season after he led Bivouac to a championship win at TD Garden.
The announcement came Wednesday and revealed the eight cities that will that will be represented in the professional 3-on-3 league. Along with Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia), Houston, Los Angeles and Miami will also have teams.
“This is a landmark moment in our league,” BIG3 Co-CEO Ice Cube said in a statement. “These cities have shown up for us year after year and we are honored to represent and reward those fans with a new franchise of their own. The basketball energy in these cities is unmatched, and we’ve seen first-hand the power of their fanbases. Transitioning to a full city-based model for this season is another marker of the league’s continued exponential growth, and fans can expect an increased talent pool and a more competitive style of game than ever before. And this is just the beginning; we hope to add four additional expansion markets in 2026. Basing teams in these fantastic cities for the first time is a privilege and we know that these teams will represent their local fans to the highest ability and provide the best 3-on-3 basketball in the world for years to come.”
The BIG3 was founded by Ice Cube in 2017. In the league’s first seven seasons, they followed a touring model and all of the teams were owned by the league. This year marks the first time the league will do a location-based model.
The season begins June 14.
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