OAKLAND FAN-FAVORITES THRILL MORE THAN 13,000 AT ORACLE ARENA; BIG3 PROVES ITS STAYING POWER AS SUMMER SPORTS STAPLE

● Week 3’s most anticipated game featured the type of contest that’s quickly becoming a BIG3 signature: undefeated Power vs undefeated Tri-State that epitomized physical, competitive, and exciting professional 3-on-3 basketball. Power Captain Corey Maggette poured in a BIG3-record 34 points to bolster his 2018 return to the court after suffering a season-ending injury last year. However, it wasn’t enough to slow down Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving’s Tri-State, as top draft pick David Hawkins chipped in 18 points and 6 rebounds to lead his team to victory. Undefeated 3-Headed Monsters remained atop the league standings with a comeback win over Co-Captain Stephen Jackson’s Killer 3s in the final game in Oakland. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf scored the 3-Headed Monsters’ final 14 points including the game-winning 3-pointer to claim victory and prove no game is ever out of reach under the BIG3’s first-to-50 format.

● In a battle of two teams fighting for their first win of the season, Golden State Warriors legend and Hall of Famer Rick Barry coached the Ball Hogs to an impressive victory over the Ghost Ballers, overcoming Carlos Boozer’s 17 points and 11 rebounds. DeShawn Stevenson, newly elevated to Ball Hogs Co-Captain this season, exploded for a team-high 21 points on 7 for 11 from the field, including 5 for 8 from three-point distance in the victory.

● Oakland music icons Too $hort and E-40 rocked the arena with halftime performances during the evening’s second and third games, bringing thousands of fans to their feet as only the BIG3 can with a festive atmosphere merging entertainment and basketball. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was in the house for Week 3, joining Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (who attended Week 1 games) on the growing list of civic leaders who have shown support for the BIG3 and its commitment to investing in the communities it visits.

● Jerome ‘Junk Yard Dog’ Williams brought the Young3 to Oakland’s Anna Marie Whalen Branch of The Boys & Girls Club to emphasize 3-on-3 basketball with youth basketball clinics. He was joined by BIG3 Commissioner Clyde Drexler and entertainment icon Ice Cube who provided inspirational words to the children in attendance about fitness, education, basketball, and aspiring to be your best.

● Next week, BIG3 heads to Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena where ‘Bad Boy’ Rick Mahorn and 2017 BIG3 Champions Trilogy go head to head against Pistons Champion Chauncey Billups and the Killer 3s. Fans can grab tickets at BIG3.com or catch the action live on Facebook (facebook.com/big3onfox) beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET and FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET.

● Official Oakland Week 3 attendance: 13,562

Getty Images: https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/big3?events=775168541

Game Recaps:

Trilogy (50, 0-3) vs 3’s Company (52, 2-1)

Video Highlights: https://foxgroup.app.box.com/s/mgtd5vv3jqmrhocarnjuxr1ui707eajt/file/302967557540

Both teams got off to a fast start. Harrington backed up his talk and Trilogy was leading 4-0 in a matter of seconds – but just like that, Davis knocked down a 4-pointer to tie it. Davis played strong defense, too, and BIG3 newcomer Andre Emmett sank a 3 to give his team a 15-12 lead. After 3’s Company went on a 7-0 run, Trilogy turned it around and went on a 10-0 run. A Davis fade-away 3-pointer tied the game at 22, but soon after that Harrington put in a layup to give Trilogy a 26-24 halftime lead.

Trilogy, playing without injured star Rashad McCants this week, stayed hot as the second half began, but 3’s from David and Emmett kept 3’s Company close. An Emmett free throw gave 3’s Company the first lead of the second half, at 41-40, but then an 8-0 Trilogy run – including a pair of Harrington 3’s – put Trilogy on the brink of their first win of the season. 3’s Company came right back, with 3’s from Davis and Drew Gooden.

Down 49-48, a Dahntay Jones layup gave Trilogy a 50-49 lead – officially making it the first “gotta win by 2” game of the 2018 season. Before anyone could look up the longest “overtime” game in the BIG3 last season, Davis made it a moot point by sinking another 3 and ending it. Emmett scored 20 for 3’s Company.

3’s Company improves to 2-1; Trilogy is 0-3

Ghost Ballers (40, 0-3) vs Ball Hogs (50, 1-2)

Video Highlights: https://foxgroup.app.box.com/s/mgtd5vv3jqmrhocarnjuxr1ui707eajt/file/302977099353

The addition of Co-Captain DeShawn Stevenson and top overall draft pick Andre Owens was supposed to make the Ball Hogs a serious contender this season. That didn’t look to be the case through two weeks of the season, but Week 3 was a different story. Stevenson, who ran away with the 3-point crown a year ago, hit an early 3 in this game and it set the tone. Stevenson finished with a game-high 21 points, including five 3-pointers.

Stevenson and Owens had help in the first half from BIG3 newcomer Jermaine Taylor. After limited action before Friday night, Taylor paced the Ball Hogs with 11 points in the first half. He would finish with 15. The Ball Hogs went to halftime with a commanding 27-12 lead. Interviewed on FOX during the break, Stevenson sounded confident: “We’re gonna win this game,” he said. “Trust me.”

The Ghost Ballers did make it a little interesting in the second half, thanks to a double-double from Carlos Boozer (17 points, 11 rebounds) and 12 points from Ricky Davis, but the Ghost Ballers were missing Captain Mike Bibby who was sitting out with a hamstring injury. Owens made his presence felt, finishing with 10 points. But in the end, it was back-to-back 3-pointers from Stevenson that sent the Ball Hogs to their first win of the season.

“It feels good to get that first win for the green and yellow,” said Stevenson, who got his first game-winning shot of the season after finishing second in the league last year with three.

The Ball Hogs improve to 1-2; Ghost Ballers are 0-3

Power (46, 2-1) vs Tri-State (50, 3-0)

Video Highlights: https://foxgroup.app.box.com/s/mgtd5vv3jqmrhocarnjuxr1ui707eajt/file/302979196626

Week 3’s battle of unbeatens lived up to expectations, as these teams went back-and-forth in a game that went down to the wire. Power Captain Corey Maggette, who only played one week last year before going down with a season-ending injury, may have already locked up the Comeback Player of the Year Award. Maggette led the team with 33 points after two weeks, and he topped that total Friday night – setting a new single-game BIG3 record with 34 points. Unfortunately for Power, the rest of the team only had 12, and that wasn’t enough to stop Tri-State.

Maggette had 18 points when Power went to the half with a 26-21 lead, but that’s when David Hawkins got into gear for Tri-State. Hawkins, after averaging 19.5 points through the first two games, scored 18 here. He was one of three Tri-Staters in double figures – Nate Robinson and Jermaine O’Neal each had 12. Still, Maggette and Power fought their way back to take a 46-45 lead. Hawkins got a rebound and put-back to give Tri-State the lead, and then he knocked down a 3-pointers for the game-winning shot.

Tri-State improves to 3-0; Power is 2-1

Killer 3’s (49, 1-2) vs 3 Headed Monsters (51, 3-0)

Video Highlights: https://foxgroup.app.box.com/s/mgtd5vv3jqmrhocarnjuxr1ui707eajt/file/302987356760

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf saved the night for the undefeated 3-Headed Monsters, turning back the clock with a clutch performance for the ages. The Killer 3s had an 8-0 run early in the first half and then a 3-pointer from Metta World Peace gave them a 25-17 lead at halftime. Killer 3s Co-Captain Stephen Jackson had 10 points at the half, and his squad led by as many as 10 early in the second half. Rashard Lewis, the reigning BIG3 MVP and Captain of the 3-Headed Monsters, led his team’s comeback, closing to within 36-33. Lewis had a team-best 13 points and 9 rebounds at that point in the game, but then went down hard while driving to the basket and left game with an injury.

It felt as if the 3-Headed Monsters were done as well, but only for a moment. That’s when Abdul-Rauf took over. The Killer 3s weren’t done either, getting key baskets from the likes of Metta World Peace and Ryan Hollins who played very good defense against Reggie Evans, but Abdul-Rauf would not be denied. After a three-point play from Hollins gave the Killer 3s a 49-45 lead, Abdul-Rauf hit his third 3-pointer of the night to make it 49-48. Two possessions later, he hit his fourth 3, this one the game-winner. Abdul-Rauf scored the last 14 points for the 3-Headed Monsters, finishing with a game-high 20. Alan Anderson led the Killer 3s with 15; Jackson had 14.

The 3-Headed Monsters improve to 3-0; the Killer 3s are 1-2

— For more information and to sign up for news updates, visit www.BIG3.com. —

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ABOUT BIG3: BIG3 (BIG3.com) is where basketball superstars play. The premier half-court, 3-on-3 basketball league, BIG3 features many of the greatest, most popular and skilled NBA players of all time. Founded by producer, actor and music legend Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz, the BIG3 combines highly competitive, physical, fast basketball and incredible fan experiences. Comprised of eight teams, the league played to huge arena crowds in ten different US cities throughout the 2017 inaugural season.

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Tags: Big 3, Carlos Boozer, David Hawkins, Deshawn Stevenson, Dr. J, Ice Cube, The Hype Magazine

About the Author

Landon Buford Washington State Graduate Past Interviews include Grammy Award Winner Kenny G, David Banner, WNBA President Lisa Borders, What's Trending's CEO Shira Lazar, Ice Cube, NBC's Chicago PD LaRoyce Hawkins, Family Matters Darius McCrary, En Vogues Maxine Jones, Team USA Track & Field Member Norris Frederick, James Kyson, WNBA Great Lauren Jackson, and more.