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Ice Cube Says Olympics 3x3 Accepted Big 3 Invite but ‘Scared’ FIBA Sabotaged Planned Match
Ice Cube accuses FIBA of sabotaging The Big 3’s planned matchup with the Netherlands, claiming political interference.
Ice Cube has accused FIBA of purposefully meddling with a high-profile exhibition match between The Big 3 and the Netherlands, marking a dramatic turn of events at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The Big 3 co-founder and hip-hop entrepreneur revealed his outrage at what he believes to be political sabotage intended to keep the European squad out of the much-anticipated game.
The day the match was scheduled to debut, August 18, 2024, happened to be the Big 3 Championship Weekend. Ice Cube said that FIBA was controlling the competition, but he applauded the Netherlands for their enthusiasm to play. He expressed his displeasure in an interview with CBS Sports, implying that concerns over The Big 3's increasing power drove FIBA's decisions.
“The Netherlands deserves respect for taking up the task, but it's FIBA. The Big 3 is a threat to FIBA.” Ice Cube stated, “FIBA is prohibiting them from participating in our All-Star game.Don't act as though that will cause things to happen. Politicians interfering with sports and fandom is bad.” he added
Ice Cube attacked USA Basketball's 3-on-3 player selection criteria earlier this month on “The Pat McAfee Show,” claiming that the strict criteria resulted in the exclusion of elite players from The Big 3. He said that this choice damaged the league's reputation in addition to hurting Team USA. Ice Cube's annoyance was so great that he challenged the Olympic gold medalists to a game in Boston versus The Big 3's All-Stars.
“We feel like they [the USA Basketball] should have the Big3 players in the Olympics. We do have the best 3-on-3 players in the world… We’re so confident that we wanna challenge the gold medal winners to a game. We can play right before our championship game in Boston. August 18th. We will fly them in and they can play against our All-Stars and we will see who is best in the world,” he asserted.
The Netherlands formally registered to play in the event to FIBA on August 9, 2024, eager to take on the task. On the other hand, FIBA promptly denied the claim. The organization stated that the request was denied because it was not given enough notice and that it was received too close to the day of the event.
“As the event in question is less than 10 days away, this timeframe has not been fulfilled. Considering the above, your request is hereby denied, and thus the Players are not authorized to participate in the aforementioned Big 3 event,” FIBA’s statement read. They further warned that any unauthorized participation in non-FIBA-endorsed events could result in contractual penalties.
Ice Cube's response to the FIBA ruling highlighted the continued hostility between established basketball leagues and up-and-coming leagues like The Big 3. The rapper's assertions draw attention to a widening gulf and cast doubt on the degree to which established organizations have influenced the development of international basketball. Ice Cube won't stop promoting his league while The Big 3 work through these issues and try to establish their credibility and competitive advantage overseas.
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