BIG3 Expanding to 12 Teams; Lisa Leslie Named New Head Coach
The BIG3 announced Thursday that it was expanding by four teams to 12 overall, revealing that the first expansion team will be called Triplets.
Triplets will be coached by basketball Hall of Famer and WNBA legend Lisa Leslie:
The BIG3's Oliver Maroney also noted that the "schedule will now play twice a week, rather than once a week; in two cities near each other. Instead of four games a night, it'll be three, which benefits TV time and in-arena experience."
Additionally, he said that the league is lowering the age limit from 30 to 27 and will no longer require NBA experience, only professional experience. So the league would open up to European professionals, for example.
And, according to Ice Cube, the league will play in 18 cities next season.
In the league's history, the Trilogy (2017) and Power (2018) have won championships, with the 3 Headed Monsters—coached by Gary Payton and featuring Rashard Lewis and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf—coming in as runners-up both years.
With four news teams on the way, the plot will thicken for 2019, and new players will join the league. One of the big names expected to appear in the BIG3 is former NBA player Lamar Odom.
