BIG3 Planning Foundation to Help Retired NBA, WNBA Players with Social Justice

Joseph Zucker @@JosephZuckerFeatured ColumnistJune 25, 2020

TORONTO, ON - JULY 27: BIG3 logos on the court ahead of the BIG3 three on three basketball league at Scotiabank Arena on July 27, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/BIG3/Getty Images)

Claus Andersen/Getty Images

The BIG3 announced plans Thursday to launch a foundation that will address a number of critical social justice issues.

The organization would work with former NBA and WNBA players and offer funding for "new business ventures, education, charitable endeavors and assistant in post-career lives." The BIG3 would also help provide "funds and support for ex-players to give back to their communities," among other ventures.

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BIG3 RESPONSE TO NBA’S RELEASE REGARDING SOCIAL JUSTICE https://t.co/oAiJeBN6Zc

The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, among others, have led many Americans to demand meaningful reforms geared toward systemic racism, social inequality and police brutality.

The BIG3's announcement comes after the NBA said it was working with the National Basketball Players Association "to address the game's role in facilitating solutions to the persistent inequities plaguing the Black community."

The league didn't lay out concrete steps because the final agreement is yet to be completed.

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As the NBA prepares to resume the 2019-20 season in Orlando, Florida, in late July, some players have expressed reservations over the plan for fear it could detract from the ongoing protests.