‘We’re Changing the Game’. Reads the tagline of rapper and actor, Ice Cube’s BIG3 Basketball. In 2017, it was a ridiculous idea–bringing the popular 3-on-3 basketball to a bigger stage, when there was already the NBA. Eight years later, the league is an established product with a growing fanbase, expanded teams, and more sponsors. 

Despite some alleged threats from the NBA. 

Back in 2022, Ice Cube claimed ESPN and the NBA are trying to destroy their league. A year later, on Joe Rogan’s podcast, the 55-year-old rapper alleged the NBA was trying to block sponsors from coming on board with BIG3. Those allegations, if true, didn’t seem to have much impact. Ahead of the 2025 season, the league is in better shape than ever before.  

How BIG3’s Franchise Model Will Unlock New Sponsorship Opportunities

The Big3 Basketball took a real big leap with the sale of its first team last year. So far, 3-on-3 basketball has been a touring league without any city-based franchises. But that will change this year. Before the season starts in June, Big3 has sold all eight of its teams, moving into a city-based franchise model.

The goal, though, is even bigger. To leverage the 3-on-3, fast-paced basketball’s popularity across the globe and spread it beyond the borders of the United States. Ice Cube’s league, which he established in 2017, is mulling over opening franchises based in London and Toronto as well. 

The reason is 3-On-3 Basketball’s explosive growth: 

• 3X3 World Tour Competition’s social media impression rose by 46.5%, and viewership went up by 76%.
• At the Olympics, 7.4 million tuned in to the Spain vs Germany final.
• 3X3 Basketball’s social media followers have catapulted from 2.6M to 8M between 2021 and 2024.

BIG3 Basketball is reaping the dividends of this burgeoning popularity. Bloomberg reported that in 2023, the league drew 14K fans on average every weekend. In addition, over 500K fans caught the action live on CBS that year. Then, last year, the league recorded 18 million unique viewers and generated 32 million total video views on X.

This year, VICE TV has also joined the bandwagon, agreeing to broadcast 14 games on their network between the season premiere on June 14 and the last match of the regular season on August 9. Not just broadcasters, BIG3 Basketball has won over the sponsors as well. And there is a reason why brands are willing to align themselves with the avant-garde league.

Why Sponsors are Jumping on Board with BIG3 Basketball

Walmart, Capital One, Merck, Lowe’s, Total, and Simply Spiked have attached their names to the BIG3 Basketball league. Then, Starter joined last month as the official apparel sponsor of the league.

BIG3 Head of Sales and Sponsorships, Nikki Ambrifi. Explained the reason: “In particular, we’ve seen strong conversion with our retail partners and are excited to explore that potential further in our team-based markets next season.” 

She wasn’t exaggerating:

• In 2024, BIG3 generated over 25M impressions for its clients on their owned platforms.
• Whereas, a further 120M came via third-party social brands across 360 campaigns.
• BIG3’s YouTube Channel generates $240K per year according to an estimate from Arch-USA.

What’s more, BIG3 has never shied away from partnering with new-age media houses. For example, last year the league teamed up with Ballislife, one of the most popular basketball lifestyle brands in the USA.

A case study by GrowthFronts revealed that the campaign recorded over 120M impressions with a 5% engagement rate. Whereas, 44 posts from Ballislife accumulated over 1M impressions, with 12 of those posts crossing 2M impressions.

The reason for this high engagement?  An influx of younger demographics into the sport, as the data below shows:

For brands, a fan base primarily consisting of youth means a greater scope for sales and conversion. More importantly, sports fans are loyal–81% of consumers either completely or somewhat trust advertisements or sponsorships from brands in a sporting context, according to a Nielsen study. 

Interestingly, 90% of in-person attendees of the BIG3 Basketball are Black and Hispanic. And a Nielsen survey reveals that Hispanic sports fans are 39% more likely to recommend a company and 37% more likely to feel loyal to a brand if it sponsors a sport they follow. 

will buy products from a brand that is associated with their favorite league or teams. In turn, that means getting a long-term loyal customer base who are tech-savvy, social-media friendly, and more open to unorthodox ideas. In short, an ideal playground for marketers. 

So, attaching their name to a dynamic league like BIG3 offers sponsors high-ROI opportunities and a wider media exposure. Now that the league has transformed into a more traditional city-based model, it will expand the fan base even more. It is expected to drive up the engagement rate even more, along with establishing a community. So, BIG3 is poised for growth, regardless of threats from external entities.