Ice Cube Says Adam Silver “Feels Threatened” by $160 Million Rich Rival’s Venture: “We Could’ve Worked Together”

Ice Cube managed to make his Big3 league a success, but are there NBA executives who cannot digest that? Launched in 2017, the league gained significant popularity, and even recorded growth in viewership in its last season. However, O’Shea Jackson (Ice Cube) mentioned he did not have much external help in the process so far. In fact, the rapper with $160 net worth claimed there are NBA executives like Adam Silver who feel threatened by the Big3.

Appearing on ‘The OGs‘ podcast, Ice Cube stated most of the NBA, including players, coaches, general managers, and even the franchise owners, love his league. “We just got a problem with the brass, you know, the Adam Silver, Mark Tatum. Them guys feel threatened… We could have worked together all these years, and we wouldn’t have made a move without their blessing,” he said on the podcast. But the 55-year-old rapper now feels it worked out for the best that these executives distanced themselves.

Ice Cube believes his league successfully managed a balance between making the game fun but keeping it serious at the same time. According to Jackson, Big3’s one major advantage is that the league lets the players be themselves. “It’s fast, as physical. We let trash talking happen. If it go down, nobody gonna get attacked… Nobody wanna pay to see robots play… Your personality is welcomed in the Big3 instead of shunned,” he said.

Interestingly, this is not the first instance that Ice Cube accused Adam Silver of being insecure about Big3.

Back in 2023, the rapper alleged Silver of wanting to undermine his league by attempting to prevent sponsorship opportunities for Big3. “I don’t give a f*ck about working with the NBA. What I want them to do, when I say ‘work with us,’ is to stop working against us. Stop doing that bullsh*t behind the scenes,” he said.

Ice Cube’s allegations brought NBA under investigation

Suspecting potential antitrust violations, the Department of Justice (DOJ) initiated an investigation against the NBA last year. As per the accusations, the league was involved in attempting to stop the growth of Ice Cube’s Big3 league.

As stated above, the NBA not only tried preventing sponsorships for the 3×3 league, but also used its influence to impact the coverage for Big3. “… We definitely need everybody’s support. The @nba and @espn are doing everything in their powers to ignore or destroy @thebig3,” Ice Cube posted on X.

While the DOJ refused to provide any comments so far, NBA spokesperson Mike Bass told TMZ Sports that the allegations “are not true”. “We have been supportive of the Big3 since its inception, but we declined to invest,” he added. The decision from the investigation is yet to come, while Big3 has entered into its 7th season this month itself.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.