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NBA All-Stars and former Kentucky Wildcats will flock to Rupp Arena Sunday as Ice Cube hosts his BIG3 basketball tournament.
BIG3, a 3-on-3 league co-founded by the rapper and actor, includes eight teams composed of retired NBA players such as Chauncey Billups, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Jermaine O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Bonzi Wells and Martyn Bernard "Moochie" Norris. Lexington, Kentucky, is the seventh stop on its 10-week tour.
In regards to playing in the center of Big Blue Nation, league co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz told reporters at BIG3’s press conference Wednesday, “Rupp Arena is one of the most famous college arenas in the country. We always said we wanted to go to cities that were both a mix of NBA teams and non-NBA teams. It’s a big basketball town. We’re very excited, and they seem to be excited to have us.”
Though no former Wildcats appear on the BIG3 team rosters, tweets indicate Rex Chapman and Rajon Rondo will make appearances off the court.
Get this man to @Rupp_Arena on time, please! ✈️ https://t.co/8u0ePhrhm0
— BIG3 (@thebig3) August 3, 2017
See you there this weekend! pic.twitter.com/OeAHM2aNEn
— Rajon Rondo (@RajonRondo) August 2, 2017
At a perfect 6-0, “Trilogy” leads the pack of teams with former Cincinnati-turned-NBA-star Kenyon Martin as captain and Rick Mahorn as coach.
Tip-off in Lexington will be 2 p.m. Sunday. The games will be filmed and are scheduled to air Monday nights on FS1. The league’s championship is Aug. 26 in Las Vegas and will air live on FOX.
For more information on the BIG3 league, visit its website. Purchase tickets here.