Ice Cube’s BIG3 League Officially Certified as a Black-Owned Business

Several celebrities and entrepreneurs have investments in professional sports leagues, but the BIG3 basketball league has presented an innovative operational structure that differs from the others.

Rapper and actor Ice Cube officially announced Friday that the BIG3 has been fully recognized as a Black-owned and -operated business by ByBlack and U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.

According to Boardroom, the certification acknowledges the 3-on-3 competition as the first and only professional sports league to be certified. Ice Cube, Big3’s CEO and co-founder, established the league in 2017 with entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz, featuring all-stars, hall of famers and world champions.

“Myself and the entire league are honored to be officially certified by ByBlack and the U.S. Black Chambers,” said Ice Cube. “From day one, the league has been dedicated to providing opportunities for Black players, fans, investors, and partners, and we are proud to be a part of a nationwide network of Black business owners.

BIG3 Officially Certified as First Black-owned Sports League https://t.co/heBnxHUiQZ

— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 14, 2022

“USBC is energized by the BIG3 basketball league becoming a certified ByBlack business,” said Ron Busby Sr., USBC CEO and president. “This is the first step of what we deem to be a fruitful partnership, with Ice Cube’s commitment to helping other Black-owned businesses get ByBlack certified. We applaud Ice Cube for leading the way in this initiative and it is our goal to continue this partnership by collaborating with Ice Cube, BIG3, and other Black-owned businesses in the sports and entertainment industry.”

According to the BIG3 website, the league completed their fifth season earlier this year where players and fans were met with several new enhancements to their league experience, including the first-of-its-kind Forever Experience Action Tokens (FEATs) powered by blockchain technology. Owners include DeGods, Gary Vaynerchuk and VeeFriends, Bill Lee and MyDoge/DogeCoin, Krause House, and Snoop Dogg and PayPal co-founder Ken Howery.

Ice Cube also established a partnership with the National Football League through his Contract with Black America Institute, and has been granted direct access to Black businesses through the league’s partnership with the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.

“Supporting Black enterprise is a lifelong passion of mine and the BIG3 will continue to build upon its successes and lift up other Black entrepreneurs,” Ice Cube said.