Ice Cube wants fans to own a piece of Big3 in blockbuster public offering

For nearly four decades, Ice Cube has helped shape Los Angeles culture.

From helping launch N.W.A. and putting South Central Los Angeles on the global map through music, to starring in iconic films like Boyz n the Hood and becoming a fixture in the city’s sports scene, Cube has spent his career building brands rooted in his hometown.

Now, the Los Angeles native is betting on the future of another one of his creations: the BIG3.

The 3-on-3 basketball league co-founded by Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz announced plans to go public through a SPAC merger with Graf Global Corp. at a reported $290 million valuation. If completed, the deal would allow everyday investors to buy stock in the league under the ticker symbol TONT later this year.

For Cube, the move is about more than raising capital. It’s about changing who gets to participate in the business of sports.

“Most leagues are owned by a bunch of billionaires,” Cube told Front Office Sports. “Fans, all they get to do is watch, buy some merch, get a ticket, and bet on the games. But they can’t invest. We want to change that. In my vision, we’re here 100 years, not just 9.”

That vision has helped carry BIG3 from a startup idea in 2017 into a league entering its ninth season. The concept was simple: give former NBA players a competitive platform to continue playing at a high level in a faster-paced 3-on-3 format.

The league has attracted recognizable names throughout its run, including Allen Iverson, Joe Johnson, Dwight Howard, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers. Games are broadcast nationally on CBS, while ratings reportedly increased more than 25 percent last season.

Cube believes the appeal goes beyond nostalgia.

“We don’t just want your name,” he told Front Office Sports. “We want your game.”

The public offering also comes after years of challenges attracting investors. Cube told Front Office Sports that NBA ownership rules prohibiting team owners from investing in competing men’s basketball leagues have complicated fundraising efforts for BIG3.

Despite those obstacles, the league continues to expand. Four franchises currently have ownership groups in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and Detroit, while additional teams remain available for purchase as BIG3 pursues long-term growth.

BIG3 opened its ninth season at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, where all eight teams tipped off the season before the league embarks on a nationwide tour, a fitting backdrop as Ice Cube’s league prepares to go public and pursues its biggest growth phase yet.

For Cube, the goal isn’t simply to build an alternative basketball league. It’s to create a sports property where fans can become stakeholders in the future he believes can last generations.