The NBA court for decades has been here to give memories, build legacies, and above all, get heated when the game’s on the line. Tempers flare, elbows fly, and sometimes, it spills over. Who could forget the time Charles Barkley and Shaq went at it in ’99, tossing the ball at each other before getting tangled up mid-game? That was still in the heat of battle. But to get into a brawl in the very first game of the season? That’s a level of chaos only Dwight Howard could reach.

The BIG3 isn’t just some side hustle league anymore—it’s a full-blown basketball movement. Started by Ice Cube in 2017 as a pro 3-on-3 league, it’s packed with playground flair, fast breaks, and legends still reminding us why they are legends. Now in 2025, the BIG3’s going big—literally. For the first time, teams are repping cities like real franchises, and there’s a million-dollar prize waiting at the finish line. Oh, and Cube? He’s already eyeing spots like London, Mexico City, and Toronto. This league isn’t slowing down—it’s just getting started. And it kicked off with fireworks.

Midway through the BIG3 season opener, chaos broke out—Dwight Howard and Lance Stephenson got into a heated brawl that totally stole the spotlight. But for the Warriors champion, Nick Young, who watched it all unfold from afar, there was only one name to blame: Reggie Evans. “F— team for the Reggie Evans [was on opposite team, Miami 305], I don’t like that s—,” he said on the Gil’s Arena podcast. That wasn’t all until he hit the gas hard.

“Nah, I don’t think it goes down like that, man. I think that’s the only way you could beat us, is try to do that Reggie Evans s—, just screaming, fouling—s— dumb, man. If you want stars to play like that… you got to protect Dwight out there. There they roam around just be a liquor store. If you still want to see basketball at the end of the day—you know—and the refs… the refs was too much of the stars this week.” But then Gilbert Arenas chimed in, saying it was really the coach’s fault for letting things spiral like that—and that’s when it got awkward. And just like that, Nick froze.

Cue the twist: “It’s okay. That was my team,” he admitted, suddenly owning the moment. “I wasn’t there though—it would’ve been very peaceful if I was there. I don’t condone in that type of energy, you know.” Apparently, Young had tapped someone else to sub in—but it didn’t exactly go to plan. “Jeff T was supposed to fill in for me… um, but he didn’t show up. He was hurt, I guess.”

And while that drama played out courtside, Michael Beasley’s reaction gave fans another viral moment. As fists flew, Beasley calmly backed away like he was watching it all from the nosebleeds—hands down, unfazed, practically whistling. The internet ate it up. But post-game? He turned up the volume. “Somebody had Dwight over Lance for Rookie of the Year, so, we made him shake a– tonight,” he said—no hesitation. Then came the Beasley closer: “You see that o— tonight? We making every city Atlanta. Magic City. We gonna make ‘em all strippers.” Classic Beas—petty, sharp, and absolutely electric.

What happened between Dwight Howard and Lance?

The BIG3 season opener was supposed to be all about hoops and hype, but instead, it turned into a full-on WWE moment. In the second half, Dwight Howard and Lance Stephenson got tangled up in a heated brawl that spilled right into the media row behind the basket. It all started when Stephenson appeared to elbow Howard in the chest. Tensions flared, Stephenson raised a fist, Howard shoved it away, and then—boom—they were shoving and rolling across the court. The fight cut through the game like a thunderbolt, and both were immediately ejected, leaving the crowd and players stunned.

And believe it or not, that wasn’t even Stephenson’s first dust-up of the night. Earlier in the game, Jordan Crawford poked Stephenson in the nose during a face-off. That triggered a punch from Stephenson, but the referees let both players stay in the game. For fans, it was classic Lance—a throwback to his infamous moment in 2014 when he blew in LeBron’s ear during the NBA Playoffs. The man has always brought the drama, and this debut was no exception. As if to make things even more surreal, all this went down in their very first BIG3 game. Yeah, talk about an opening statement.

Still, once the dust settled, Miami 305 came out on top. Despite the drama, they locked in and pulled off a 50–44 win. Before his ejection, Stephenson dropped 16 points, 3 rebounds, and an assist. Dwight finished with 10 points and 7 boards before being escorted off. Both were making their BIG3 debuts—and let’s just say they didn’t exactly ease into it. One gave us buckets, the other gave us a brawl, and together they gave fans a season opener that’s already one for the books.

Nick Young might’ve missed the game, but his comments made sure he was still right in the middle of the drama. With jabs at Reggie Evans and a twist of irony about coaching, he turned a sideline absence into a headline moment.