Ice Cube To Headline Big3 Docuseries In Works From Jesse Collins Entertainment

Denise Petski
·3 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Ice Cube is teaming with Jesse Collins Entertainment on a sports docuseries revolving around his successful Big3 sports league. Ice Cube will star in and produce via his Cube Vision with Jesse Collins Entertainment.

The as-yet untitled series will take an unprecedented look at the making of one of the fastest growing new leagues in the United States, the Big3, as Ice Cube defies the NBA on its quest to become one of the biggest sports leagues in the world.

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Described as Welcome to Wrexham and Cheer meets basketball, the series will be dual-narrative following Cube and the challenges of building a new basketball league from the ground up, as well as the journey of one of the Big3 teams, as they navigate the ups and downs of a grueling season in pursuit of a national championship.  Big3’s widely covered $1.2 billion lawsuit against Qatari investors will also be covered in the series.

In January 2017, Ice Cube, along with entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz, announced the launch of the Big3 as a new, 3-on-3, half-court basketball league that would feature some of the best players to ever play the game.  Cube and Kwatinetz had a shared vision of a player-centric league focused on entertainment and innovation. Among those innovations, they introduced the 4-point shot, with three 4-point circles beyond the 3-point line. Since then, the Big3 became the first professional sports league certified by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as a Black-owned and operated business and the first league to have female coaches within a male sport.

The league has also empowered diverse executives and entrepreneurs to hold top roles at its sports teams and provides revenue share with players, being one of the few leagues to do so.  Basketball legends including Dr. J, ‘The Ice Man’ George Gervin, Gary Payton, Allen Iverson, Lisa Leslie, Rick Barry, Stephen Jackson and more have competed as coaches and players. Among the many hoops legends they brought into the league was Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler, who is now Commissioner of the Big3. By design, the league sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment and culture.

Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Madison Merritt will executive produce the docuseries for Jesse Collins Entertainment along with Cube Vision’s Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz.

Jesse Collins Entertainment has a multi-year overall agreement with ViacomCBS Cable Networks on the TV side. In features, the company has a first-look agreement with Viacom’s film entities such as Paramount Players.

Founded in 2012 by Collins, who is the CEO and executive producer of all programming, JCE is probably best known for producing awards shows and specials including The American Music Awards, BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors and UNCF’s An Evening of Stars as well as specials Martin: The Reunion, John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero, Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration, Change Together: From the March on Washington to Today, A Grammy Salute to the Sounds of Change, Stand Up for Heroes, Def Comedy Jam 25 and Leslie Jones: Time Machine.

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