Ice Cube issued the challenge months ago, and finally, LaVar Ball has accepted.
The BIG3 founder will square off against Lonzo’s father in a four-point shooting contest this Sunday at Staples Center. The four-point shot is 30 feet from the basket.
It will be interested to see if Ball is as good as he says he is – after all, he claims he could beat Michael Jordan one-on-one – but DA wonders if Ice Cube loses credibility by involving LaVar in BIG3 festivities.
Ice Cube says no.
“All we’re doing is a cool little four-point contest, me and him, at the halftime of a game to entertain the fans,” Ice Cube said on CBS Sports Radio’s The DA Show. “It’s nothing that’s going to affect the play on the court. It’s nothing that’s going to affect the game in itself. We just look at it as something entertaining. I challenged him months ago when we first started, and we never really settled it. I just thought it would be cool entertainment for the fans. It’s nothing different than if I go to an NBA game and see somebody tossing plates on their head on a unicycle. What’s the big deal? That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
Ball has made some outlandish – and offensive – statements in recent months, but Ice Cube doesn’t think Ball’s presence will hurt the BIG3 brand.
“He’s not affecting the credibility of BIG3 basketball in any kind of way,” Ice Cube said. “When I first started this, everybody thought it was a circus anyway. Everybody thought it was a gimmick. They’re seeing hard-nosed basketball, and that’s what I promised them. I didn’t promise them a gimmick. I promised them good 3-on-3 basketball from former NBA players. Now with this LaVar Ball thing, he’s from Los Angeles, his son just got signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, we’re at the Staples Center, we made the challenge months ago, we never settled it – we thought this was very entertaining for the fans to see us settle it on the court in front of everybody. We’re not even sure if this portion will be televised. This is nothing we’re doing with FOX. This is something we’re doing to entertain the fans at the Staples Center. Still, I don’t see the big deal.
“You might have a problem with LaVar and how he does things,” Ice Cube continued. “I don’t have a problem with him promoting his son. Of course, I don’t condone everything any man does. But I don’t think he’s someone we should shun and say he’s not invited to the Staples Center to do a simple four-point contest. I think people are taking it way too serious.”
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