Young3: Ice Cube’s BIG3 Basketball League Partners With Adidas For Youth 3-on-3 Tournament

Now in their second season, Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league just keeps growing and growing. The latest news? A multi-year partnership with Adidas to host youth 3-on-3 tournaments and skills clinics.

Most secondary professional sports leagues don’t last. They’re typically unknown players in cheap-looking uniforms banging around in high school gyms for practically nothing. Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league is the exception, though. They’re playing a totally different version of a popular sport with players fans recognize. Finally, someone did it right, and it’s paid off tremendously.

The BIG3 will play their second season this summer across 10 weekends in 10 major cities. Of course, the most impressive thing they have going for them is their mutually-beneficial deal with Fox Sports and FS1. It gives the media giant a much-needed live-basketball product while legitimizing the upstart league. Audience-wise, it’s also beneficial because it comes at that time of year when variety is at a premium.

And like most start-ups, you build off previous relationships. When companies see you in bed with legitimate brands, they feel a lot better about doing the same. In their inaugural season, they had Fox Sports in the bag and made the most of it. Adidas, a few years removed from outfitting the NBA, came calling during the offseason and signed a three-year deal with the BIG3 in April. As part of the deal, they will be the league’s official merchandise supplier and a presenting sponsor.

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At the time, Mark King, president of Adidas North America, said he wanted to “help build on the league’s vision to make the Big3 a global brand”. This new youth initiative — known as Young3 — will take place in all 10 cities the league barnstorms through and is a step in the right direction in terms of growth.

Per the Big3’s official press release:

“As part of their multi-year partnership and previously announced commitment to player development and community engagement, BIG3 and Adidas have announced the launch of Young3, a 3-on-3 youth basketball initiative. Throughout the season Young3 will host 3-on-3 tournaments and skills clinics for children ages 7-14 in all 10 BIG3 city stops on Thursdays, ahead of the league’s Friday night primetime games. In each city, they will also invest time and money into improving the infrastructure of community courts so players are able to have the ultimate 3-on-3 experience. This new community outreach program will work to engage young audiences in the growing popularity of 3-on-3 basketball, which was added as an official event at the 2020 Olympic Games.”

Jerome “Junkyard Dog” Williams, a nine-year NBA veteran and former star at Georgetown, will serve as the president of Young3.