Ice Cube's BIG3 basketball league was at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in Nassau, Bahamas this past weekend as the league got to host its first-ever international championship weekend. The players and the fans got to be surrounded by gorgeous views and overall, it was the best possible location to host such a monumental event.
Today, the championship game officially went down with Gary Payton's 3 Headed Monsters taking on Stephen Jackson's Trilogy. Heading into this game, everyone knew this would be a matchup between Kevin Murphy of the 3 Headed Monsters, and Jarrett Jack of the Trilogy. In the end, it did not disappoint as both teams took the game down to the wire. The 3 Headed Monsters had a 26-13 lead which eventually led to a halftime performance from Ice Cube. From there, the Trilogy gained all of the momentum and took a late lead at 47-45. In order to reach the 50-point threshold, the Trilogy just needed one three-pointer, and Jarrett Jack got it.
Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
"I thought I had a couple of clean looks prior to the ultimate winning basket and they just didn't go down," Jack told HotNewHipHop after the game. "I just tried to stay confident and they actually fouled me on the one that I made but luckily for me it went in and now we're sitting here champagne showered up."
This was a particularly bitter sweet moment for coach Jackson as he lost in the BIG3 Final back in 2019. Now, Jackson can finally call himself a BIG3 champ, and it is something he will never forget. It helps that he got to do it all with a group of guys that he refers to as part of his family.
Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
"It feels good in my first year coaching just to get a championship," he explained. "I wanted to be able to say that I've won the championship on every level. It's real sweet with these guys. These are my brothers and I knew I could rely on them to get the job done. I'm just blessed to be in this position with a great group of guys"
Now, each and everyone of these players will be able to go out and enjoy their win as they still have a couple of days left out on the beach. Paradise Island has produced some magical basketball, and there is no doubt that the BIG3 put on a show for the fans.