Just hours before the 2023-2024 NBA season tips off, we have some breaking news that is quite surprising. It has nothing to do with any of the players. Instead, it is about the NBA as an organization and its brand image. According to multiple reports, including TMZ Sports, the league has been under an ongoing investigation by the United States Department of Justice. The reason is that Ice Cube's Big3 league feels there are anticompetitive behaviors in practice from its longstanding counterpart.
The Big3's aura comes from former NBA players going against each other. It has been in place since 2017 and it is a great league in general. However, they feel the NBA has been working to essentially slowly eliminate them in numerous ways. Namely, they are allegedly "preventing sponsors and other potential partners from doing business."
This Investigation With The DOJ And The NBA Has Been Ongoing
In fact, Big3 claims that players have shown interest in playing in it, but they have been denied access. The same goes for referees and owners. They apparently cannot have any sort of hand in helping them out. Owners are in question and if the DOJ finds any evidence, hefty fines could come down. NBA spokesman Mike Bass was says they have been supportive of the Big3. All of this began back in the first of the year and it could extend into 2024 as well.
What are your initial thoughts on the Department of Justice investigating the NBA for the allegations from the Big3? Do you think it is a possibility that the NBA is trying to eliminate any competition? Or, is it just the Big3 not seeing enough growth and they decided to blame the NBA? We would like to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in for all of the latest breaking news around the NBA, the Big3, as well as everything else going on around the sports world.