The highly anticipated BIG3 professional 3-on-3 basketball league made history Sunday with it’s hugely successful debut in Brooklyn, in front of a packed house of 15,177 fans at Barclays Center. That is not far behind the Nets’ average of 15,429 last season, and the vibe was far more lively than that at your average Nets game, sustained for most of a show that lasted nearly six hours and featured four games.

3 Headed Monster 62- Ghost Ballers 60

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The league kicked off with 3 Headed Monsters taking on Ghost Ballers.  3 Headed Monsters edged out Ghost Ballers 62-60.  The teams play to 60, but each team must win by at least two points. Rashard Lewis was the star of the game for the 3 Headed Monsters. Lewis won the game on a three-point play, and finished with 27 points. Lewis nailed this free throw to close out the game. Former No. 1 overall pick Kwame Brown had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the 3 Headed Monsters.

Power 62- Tri-State  58

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In the second game of the day, Power defeated Tri-State 62-58. Former NBA player DeShaun Stevenson hit the game-winning three point shot. Stevenson led all scorers in the game with 20 points. Maggette scored 15 and Cuttino Mobley had 14 for the Power. Jermaine O’Neal scored 18 points for Tri State, coached by Hall of Famer Julius Erving. Mike James had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

3’s Company 61- Ball Hogs 51

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Allen Iverson made his Big3 debut for 3’s Company as they took on Ball Hogs. 3’s Company won 61-51. Iverson played sparingly only notching nine minutes. Iverson finished with two points, two assists and a steal. Iverson was criticized by some fans in attendance for looking like a small glimpse of the player he once was.  

Andre Owens had 20 points and 15 rebounds for Iverson’s team. DerMarr Johnson added 14 points and Al Thornton scored 13. Rasual Butler made six 3-pointers and scored 22 points for the Ball Hogs. Derrick Byars chipped in 19.

Trilogy 60 – The Killer 3’s 45

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This game should have been the best one of the day, but Harrington and Martin’s Trilogy won in a 60–45 blowout. Rashad McCants (also suiting up for Trilogy), the league’s No. 1 overall pick, lived up to the billing, looking by far like the most athletic player on the court. 

Al Harrington scored 25 points as Trilogy cruised in the final game of the day. James White added 16. Reggie Evans scored 18 and Stephen Jackson 17 for the losers. The Killer 3’s were missing their captain, Chauncey Billups. Many are speculating if Billups excepted the Cavaliers president of operation job. Time will tell , if that is the case.

League creator IceCube, vowed the games would be competitive — players are vying for a revenue share based on final league standings. There was pushing and shoving in the post and a few hard fouls, and the physicality and trash talk appeared to heat up as the games went on. With hand checking allowed, the games looked nothing like today’s NBA game.

Bumps and Bruises 

Most players seemed to be in decent physical shape, but Jason (White Chocolate) Williams, Corey Maggette, Kenyon Martin and Rashad McCants left their games with injuries. 

Celebrities and Current NBA Players Were In The Building 

Among the celebrities in the building were,  LL Cool J, Jalen Rose, Whoopi Goldberg, Sam Cassell, Naturi Naughton, James Harden, new Brooklyn Net, D’Angelo Russell, Lou Williams, and former Brooklyn Net,Paul Pierce, 

Will The Big 3 Succeed?

Will the Big 3 be a hit? It’s impossible to know just yet whether it will have any staying power, and, as fun as it might be in person, the question of whether people will watch the tape-delayed broadcasts on Monday is another subject entirely. From Sunday’s debut, I’m sure it will be a summer smash success. Stay tuned.