Category Archives: Bahamas

Though NBA training camps for the 2021-22 season will not begin until late September, the Rockets are getting a head start as a team with a few days of pre-camp workouts in The Bahamas. Various social media updates from Houstons players confirmed their mid-week arrival.

Its an annual tradition of sorts for the Rockets, dating to the James Harden era. Even with Harden no longer part of the team, the initiative will continue into the Jalen Green era.

Veteran forward Danuel House Jr., who is one of only two remaining players (along with Eric Gordon) from the Harden-era playoff teams, recently explained the rationale to Mark Bermanof Fox 26 Houston.

Its a fun time. Guys are getting together. Its that time of year again.

Its real important off the court. It just gives us time to bond with one another, other than basketball. Once you build a relationship off the court, on the court, teamwork makes the dream work. It teaches us how to respond to one another. It teaches teamwork, chemistry, everything.

Weve got a lot of really young guys, and a couple new faces, said second-year Rockets forward JaeSean Tate. Like House said, this is a time for us to come together and bond.

Its very important for teams to have that bond off the court, Tate concluded. I think the best teams, the closest teams, are the ones that are most successful. Its just getting acclimated with one another, and seeing where each others strengths are, and how we can improve.

The Bahamas trip prior to training camp also occurred in 2017, 2018 and 2019, but it was scrapped in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

See below for social media updates from Houston players.

Excerpt from:

Houston Rockets arrive in Bahamas for pre-training camp work - Rockets Wire

CLEVELAND, Ohio Starting in December, United Airlines is adding new, weekly service between Cleveland Hopkins and Nassau, Bahamas.

The route will run Saturday only, starting Dec. 18. It was part of a larger announcement from United, which continues to emphasize leisure routes in the wake of the dramatic downturn in business travel due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The new flight departs from Cleveland at 9:05 a.m., arriving in the Bahamas at 12:10 p.m. The return flight leaves Nassau at 1:05 p.m., landing in Cleveland at 4:15 p.m. The route will use a 76-seat Embraer 175 aircraft. Tickets are on sale now.

United previously flew from Cleveland to Nassaus Lynden Pindling International Airport in 2014, the year the carrier closed its hub at Hopkins.

In the past year, United has increased its flying from Cleveland to numerous new leisure destinations adding Portland, Maine; Pensacola, Florida; and Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head and Charleston, South Carolina; this summer, as well as beefing up service to several destinations in Florida.

The carrier also flies weekly to Cancun, Mexico.

Spokeswoman Maddie King said the new Nassau flight is expected to run year-round.

In addition to the new Cleveland flight, United announced new service from Chicago to Guatemala City and Denver to Roatan, Honduras.

Throughout the pandemic, Latin America has remained one of the strongest regions for United with leisure demand meeting or exceeding 2019 levels, said Patrick Quayle, vice president of international network and alliances at United. We have been adding new flights to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America since last summer and with todays announcement, United will fly 20 new routes across Latin America that we did not operate in 2019 so our customers can enjoy more beaches and warmer weather.

Read more:

$2 billion plan to rebuild Cleveland Hopkins airport isnt an issue in the mayors race; should it be?

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (finally) opens new Ground Transportation Center for shuttle drop-offs, pick-ups

Airfare inching up at Cleveland Hopkins airport; passengers, flights rebounding, too

Passenger traffic at Cleveland Hopkins airport drops 59% in 2020

Originally posted here:

United Airlines adding Cleveland Hopkins to Nassau, Bahamas service in December - cleveland.com

The 10th Anniversary of CHICOS will be held at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Resort in Nassau, Bahamas November 10-12, 2021.

Says Bahamas Minister of Tourism & Aviation the Honourable Dionisio D'Aguilar, "We are pleased to welcome such a prestigious event and celebrate the 10th year edition in The Bahamas. As someone who attended the inaugural CHICOS in our country, it is an honor for us to show the developers and operators in attendance how our island has further matured and evolved since that time."

"It's a thrill for us to celebrate this monumental event, our 10th anniversary celebration of the conference, back where it all started in The Bahamas," says Jordan. "We have been so fortunate over the years to experience our Conference throughout the most diverse and attractive region of the world, and to now host our hospitality developers and lodging companies at the new Baha Mar, back in The Bahamas, where I've had the pleasure of living for four years is meaningful to me personally and to the loyal CHICOS attendees and advisory board members."

"We encourage our attendees to come early and stay late because Bahamas, and Baha Mar in particular, offer so much activity and recreation, as well as of course, investment opportunity," adds Jordan.

For conference news, updates and comments, follow CHICOS on Twitter @CHICOS_HVS and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/11167654/

ABOUT THE BAHAMASExplore all the islands have to offer atwww.bahamas.comor onFacebook,YouTubeorInstagram.

About CHICOSPowered by HVS, the Caribbean Hotel Investment Conference & Operations Summit, CHICOS is the premier industry conference for the region. CHICOS 2021 welcomes governmental representatives, opinion leaders, developers, bankers and other lenders, tourism officials, investment funds, hotel brand executives, individuals/companies seeking investors for their tourism projects, franchise and operations companies, public and private institutions, consultants, advisors, architects and designers all to discuss the region's markets and possibilities. https://chicos.hvsconferences.com/.

Media Contact Anita Johnson-PattyBahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation[emailprotected]954-236-9292

Media Contact for CHICOSLeora Halpern Lanz, LHL Communications [emailprotected]516-680-8529

SOURCE Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation

Read the original here:

Back to The Bahamas in Honor of CHICOS 10th Anniversary - PRNewswire

The MD-80 series of airliners, often referred to lovingly by their nickname "Mad Dog," are disappearing from our skies at an alarming rate. No major carrier in the U.S. flies them today, with American retiring the type in 2019. Surplus MD-80s are now scattered around the globe in small groups, some still carrying humans and others hauling cargo, but it's safe to say that the type is deep into the twilight of its career. One famous airline that is based in Alaska, Everts Air Cargo, known for its eclectic fleet, which includes antique piston-engined airliner types, and that flies into some very tight and rough wilderness locales, operates the MD-80s in cargo-carrying configurations. In fact, they were the first to receive a cargo-converted Mad Dog. One of these aircraft, N963CE, popped up very far from its home recently and put on one hell of a show when it went on its merry way.

The video comes to us from the appropriately named YouTuber CameronMD80. The video was shot at Nassau International Airport in the Bahamas last week. It was there that the seemingly out-of-place aircraft was found and filmed. Here is the aviation videographer's description of his rare catch:

I would have never expected this visit and I definitely would have never expected their takeoffs to go down the way they did. It's been a while since I've seen an MD80 locally. The last time I got to enjoy them was in November 2019 when Delta sent theirs for the last time. A private MD came a few months later but that doesn't really count in my eyes as it happened at night while I was home; although that is the last time that I can recall that an MD came to Nassau.

Fast forward to these past few days. We got two unexpected visits from an "airline" that seems quite far from home with a crew that was very antsy to show off what an empty Maddog can do. If this is the last time I see an MD80 locally, I definitely can't complain.

See original here:

Watch This MD-80 "Mad Dog" Cargo Jet Make A Crazy Zoom Climb Out Of The Bahamas - The Drive

In 2019, Hurricane Dorian, a category 5 storm with 185 mph sustained winds, made landfall on Elbow Cay, one of the many fragile barrier cays and islands that make up the Bahamas' 120-mile long Abacos chain. Dorian moved on a day later to inflict devastation on Grand Bahama Island's east end.

Much of the Abacos resembled a war zone when I visited there, three months after Dorian. But two years later, much of it still does, according to Andrea Dunne-Sosa, Americas' regional director at Project Hope, a global health and humanitarian organization working with the Ministry of Health in the Bahamas to train community health workers and assist in the disaster response.

A year ago in an address to the nation marking the one-year anniversary of Dorian, prime minister Hubert Minnis was asked how the Abacos had fared in the year since the hurricane.

"Progress has been made in the past year, but not enough," Minnis said at the time. "There is still so much to do."

Dunne-Sosa agreed. "Boats are still in yards and on land, sunken boats and cars are still in the water, mounds of debris still remain," she said, "and it will only take one strong storm for that debris to become deadly. Many people still live in temporary shelters next to their destroyed homes. Dorian damaged more than 85% of the buildings in the Abacos."

The recovery work halted in March 2020 as international nongovernmental organizations scrambled to get their staffs home before the borders closed when the world shut down due to Covid, according to Dunne-Sosa.

"Unfortunately, most did not return," she said. "Now we are in the midst of an upswing in Covid-19 cases in the Bahamas just as the economy is beginning its long recovery after the double whammies of Hurricane Dorian followed by the pandemic."

The main and largest island, Great Abaco, is the site of Marsh Harbour, the commercial hub of the Abacos and the Bahamas' third largest city. Across the water from Marsh Harbour is Elbow Cay, home to Hope Town and the signature candy-striped Elbow Reef Lighthouse, which did survive Dorian.

There has been some progress, such as the construction of docks on Elbow Cay that are more resistant to storm damage, and the reopening of several hotels, inns and restaurants as well as dive and fishing sites.

However, Covid has exasperated and greatly slowed the recovery, according to Dunne-Sosa.

"There are only two doctors for a population of 15,000 in the Abacos, and one ambulance for the entire island of Great Abaco. There is also no public transportation, so while we're training community health workers to bridge the gap and provide coverage, it's very hard to get people into health care facilities, which is wholly inadequate to meet the needs of residents in the event of emergencies," she said.

She pointed out that the people of Abaco face lifelong impacts from the compound crises of Dorian and Covid. "Heart attacks and other early deaths have increased in adults who survived the hurricane. Covid-19 has caused a lapse in routine health care. With no mental health care providers here, this will continue to manifest in people's mental and physical health for years to come."

The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins reported that the Bahamas had close to 1,500 new cases of Covid in the last two weeks of August, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel that focused on the stalled recovery of the Abacos.

"Less than 18% of Bahamian citizens and residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine. That's not nearly enough," Dunne-Sosa said.

However, Project Hope remains committed to the Abacos. The organization is training community health workers to bridge the gap with limited health care coverage in the wake of Hurricane Dorian and the current pandemic.

"Our mission is to place power in the hands of local health workers to save lives by working side by side with the local health systems to improve health and support community resilience," Dunne-Sosa said.

Go here to see the original:

Two years after Dorian, slow recovery progress in the Abacos - Travel Weekly

Back in 2020, Ice Cube had big aspirations for his BIG3 basketball league. After starting in 2017, theoperation saw three successful seasons that drew in larger and larger crowds with each game. The BIG3 was becoming the premier destination for 3-on-3 professional basketball, and its product was unique enough to set itself apart from every other basketball league in the world. Heading into what would have been last season, the league was ready to change the product further thanks to its new Fireball3 rules package, which would allow coaches to challenge fouls and have a one-on-one showdown called Bring The Heat, as opposed to the usual free throw.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 forced the league to shut down for a year which prompted Ice Cube to come up with new ways to keep the BIG3 going. For instance, there were rumors that Cube would executive produce a reality show in which all of the league's players live in one big house where they also play tournaments for cash prizes. It was an ambitious idea that never came to fruition, however, Cube still had massivehopes for 2021, and he was able to execute big time.

One of Cube's big goals was to have the BIG3 play in international markets, and 2021 was the perfect opportunity to get that done with travel opening up overseas. Early this season, Cube announced that the playoffs and championship game would be played at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in Nassau, Bahamas, which was certainly great motivation for the league's players to give it their all. On Saturday, September 4th, the championship game was played between the 3 Headed Monsters and the Trilogy. It was the Trilogy who came out on top,thanks to the heroics of Jarrett Jack, and the coaching of Stephen Jackson.

While we were there, we got to catch up with Ice Cube, who spoke to us about his love for the game, the challenges of growing a brand new league, and why he ultimately chose the Bahamas as the host country forthe BIG3's fourth championship game.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

HNHH: So firstly, you created the BIG3 about four years ago. What was your main goal when you first started the league?

Ice Cube: Just as a fan, want to see guys I know who had honed these skills to the highest level, continue to play at a high level. I knowwiththe NBA, sometimes its not even an age thing, its a numbers game, and you have fifteen people on the team. So you have a lot of talent on the sidelines, and to have a league where they can display that, entertain the people in the summer, because if youre not a baseball fan, soccer, golf, you know, or preseason football, youre not really being satisfied in the summer. I knew that there was a kind of a void in the industry and a league done the right way will work.

For sure, and seeing the growth of the league, how do you feel like youve do you feel like youve reached that goal, or are you getting close to it?

I think with a league you just want to continue to gain more and more fans. I dont know if theres a goal to reach in a way. Its keep people interested in the league, continue to grow the league, make sure the league, you know, comes back year after year, develop a fan base, grow the fan base. Theres like 10, 20 years of work ahead of us, you know what I mean, to make sure this league has its roots in the ground. With something like this, its an ongoing project, thats never, you should never be satisfied, we should always want more.

You have built a pretty large fanbase so far, What are some of the rules and elements of the BIG3 that you really think that have you know, helped grow the fanbase, and sustain the fanbase as well.

We have some great rules, the big ones are a four-point shot for points circles. Also the one shot free throws, instead of two shots. You know, somebody is taking the three-pointer, nobody wants to see him shoot three free throws, you know, so its one for three, one for two. And if youre shooting four, nobody definitely wanna see four free throws, so its one for four. No time clock. So first 50 win, you have to win by two, but we have a shot clock, so cant just hold the ball. You gotta shoot it, you gotta get it up there, so it moves very fast. You can see a BIG3 game in an hour, where in the NBA, it takes about two and a half, three, before the game is over, so its a fast moving game, and I think its good, perfect, for the new sports fan who dont have a lotta time.

And this year you implemented the Fireball3 Package. What kind of prompted you guys to go with that?

Well, we got a rule presented by Taco Bell called Bring the Fire. And its a rule where a coach can challenge a foul, a shooting foul, once a half. And instead of the foul, they had the guys go one-on-one for the call, so if you make it, good basket. If you miss it, foul comes off the board. I think its what the fans wanna see, you know, not referees controlling the game, but the actual players in control of their own fate. So its a great rule, people love when the best players go one-on-one, you know, even in the NBA, they love to see it so, you have this ruleuniquefor the BIG3 is perfect.

You were saying youre such a massive sports fan. So what has it been like being able to grow the league and watch it come together like this?

Its been very fun, just seeing the league develop, just seeing the graphics, seeing the teams, seeing fans in the jerseys, fans in the t-shirts. Knowing that the league is growing organically, also that young people love the league. You know, young people play3-on-3 a lot, at school or on playgrounds, backyards, so its a young game, its new, its fresh, and Im proud of it.

You mentioned 3-on-3, obviously, it became part of the Olympics this year and its much different rules than FIBA, but do you feel like maybe the BIG3 helped really popularize3-on-3 basketball and make it more of something that people wanna watch day in and day out?

No doubt. You know, if you look at the history, they've been around for a long time, FIBA. 3-on-3, which is that amateur version of 3-on-3.But it wasn't until we announced, in 2017 that we was going to make a professional version of three on three, that the Olympics finally came around and said this is a sport that they wanted to adapt. What we do in the Big Three is a lot different than what they doing in FIBA. BIG3 I think is a better game to play and a better game to watch, and we're proud to have the best3-on-3 league in the world, so it's cool what they're doing, that comes around every four years. We come around every year. So get with us.

You guys have been in the Bahamas for about a week now. What sparked the decision to have the finals in an international location?

Just go outside and look around, you know. [Laughs]

It's a beautiful location. Players are excited. In 2020 and 2019, we had gone to 18 different cities in the States, so to be able to go international with the league is something that's part of our plan. We went to Toronto, we had a plan to go to China before the pandemic. So this is where we wanna be, we want to, you know, do our championship in some of the best places, most exotic places in the world. Big basketball towns. You know, we do want to reward the best teams in our league.

And did you find that the players maybe put in a little bit extra effort into it at the end of the season, you know, to get that trip over here?

Without a doubt. They've been talking about it all season. And I always say if they didn't, if they didn't want to play hard, they wives and their girlfriends would make them play hard to get over here for that, you know, free paid vacation. So it's been a great time for our league coming back after the pandemic to cap it off with champagne in the Bahamas, like why not?

So where do you see the league in 5 to 10 years from now?

More teams. We're working on what we call the Big Cup, which is like the World Cup, but for 3-on-3 basketball. We invite countries from all over the world, submit teams and play the BIG3 rules. See who's the best in the world for real. And you know, just grow the brand, grow the fan base, make our sponsors happy. Make our partners, our players, and coaches, happy.

Well thank you very much for taking the time.

No problem.

Read more here:

Ice Cube Talks Growing The BIG3, Playing In The Bahamas, & Popularizing 3-On-3 Basketball - HotNewHipHop

After a 17-month break, Oasis of the Seas returns to cruise service. The first post-pandemic commercial cruise was launched on Sunday from Bayonne, New York.

Based in New York for the first time, the ship now offers a series of seven-night voyages to the Bahamas.

Oasis will make weekly visits to Nassau, Port Canaveral, and Perfect Day on CocoCay Royal Caribbeans private island in the Bahamas until the end of October. Home to North Americas highest water slides, the popular CocoCay has unique attractions and saw a $250 million transformation in 2019.

Following the New York program, the Oasis will be relocating to Miami for the winter season. The ship is sailing on different itineraries to the eastern and western Caribbean by December, including stops in Mexico, Honduras, and St Maarten and Puerto Rico.

One of the worlds biggest cruise ships, the 2009 Oasis of the Seas has a capacity for over 5,400 guests.

Built in Finland, the ship has introduced a groundbreaking design illuminated by features such as Central Park, a park with real plants surrounded by shops and restaurants.

The ship also divided its public areas into seven different zones, known as quarters. Each of them has a different appeal, with unique attractions. BoardWalk reproduces, for example, a coastal pier with a carousel, carnival games, shops and food.

The Oasis of the Seas was also the first ship with a dance-water theatre, a zip line and a moving bar.

In 2019, the ship underwent a $ 165 million renovation in Spain as part of the Royal Amplification Program.

After a period of two months in Drydock, the ship came out with new additions, such as the highest slide on the sea Ultimate Abyss; The Perfect Storm Trio of Water Slippers; a reimagined Caribbean Pool Deck; and new children and youth places.

The Oasis of the Seas is the 14th Royal Caribbean cruise to resume services since the COVID-19 pandemic break. The ship is also the tenth for operators in the United States to return to service after Freedom of the Seas became the first ship in July. With a fleet of 25 ships, Royal Caribbean plans to have 21 cruises in service by the end of 2021.

More here:

Oasis of the Seas resumes services, likely to make stop in Bahamas, St Maarten - WIC News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS Tim Disney, artist and entrepreneur, yesterday added his voice to the Stop Disney Last Chance for Lighthouse Point Campaign in opposing Disney Cruise Lines (DCL) plans for Eleuthera.

Commenting on a statement released by the campaign yesterday, Disney said: Walt Disney Studios, co-founded by my grandfather, produced some of the first and best nature documentaries.

As a child, I watched my father work on many of them. I am proud of that legacy and acknowledge the companys generally good record of environmental responsibility over the years.

Thus, it is heartbreaking to witness Disney Cruise Lines failure to honor this legacy in regard to its proposed cruise ship port at Lighthouse Point in Eleuthera.

The Disney companys appalling decision to lobby against the proposed reconciliation legislation before the US Congress, which contains provisions essential to seriously address climate change, give the lie to anything Disney may say about its standing as a responsible steward of the environment in Eleuthera, or anywhere for that matter.

Disney enjoys, and profits from, a special position of trust in the culture. With that comes an opportunity, indeed an obligation, to demonstrate leadership on this most important issue.

I join the call on Disneys leaders to reconsider their behavior in The Bahamas, and here in the United States, and to ask themselves if a few percentage points of personal and corporate tax rates are worth sabotaging our best and maybe last chance to seriously address the present calamity of climate change.

The Stop Disney Last Chance for Lighthouse Point Campaign, in its statement, urged the next Bahamian government that will be elected on September 16 to undertake a formal reevaluation of DCLs plans for a cruise ship port at Lighthouse Point on Eleuthera.

The campaign asked that DCL be required to supplement its March 2021 environmental impact assessment (EIA) with additional disclosure of information, analyses and consultations.

It is now clear that Disney Cruise Line wants to ram through environmental approval of its proposed $400 million cruise ship port at Lighthouse Point in Eleuthera sadly with the full support of the Bahamian Ministry of the Environment and Housing, said the campaign.

Disneys EIA fails to address adequately critical issues about the project, including the economics and alternatives.

The statement called attention to the comments of The Bahamas National Trust on the EIA which were allegedly omitted entirely from Disneys Public Consultation Report.

The BNT made clear its opposition to the project and stated that the best use of this area would be for the land and surrounding marine environment to be established as a protected area.

Lighthouse Point is of world-renowned outstanding beauty worthy of world heritage status and is currently listed as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), the campaign said.

The rest is here:

Disney family member joins environmentalists in calling for Disney to do better in The Bahamas - EyeWitness News

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Our family own travel agencies in northern New Jersey and have had a long association with The Bahamas, including being part time residents.

We always had strong bookings for your country to both Nassau and the Out Islands. However COVID-19 changed everything. There are now two worlds for travel to The Bahamas. There is a fantasy world propagated by your Tourism Minister and a real world where it is difficult to get clients to travel to you. According to your Minister tourism is rebounding strongly, massive bookings are forthcoming and cruises will return to record numbers soon.

Unfortunately these rosy predictions are not what we are seeing in our agencies. The introduction of the Health Visa has killed off most interest when nearly all other resort destinations are far easier to enter without all the red tape and expense of the Visa. After eighteen months of restrictions people are unwilling to go through all the red tape you require just to come for a holiday. We understand that the Visa has just become a money making operation for the Government and those associated with the payment system. The Bahamian Tourist officials always declare they work with travel partners. There was no evidence of any consultation before your harsh entry rules were introduced which actually punish visitors with all the roadblocks.

Your Minister says the Visa must stay because he does not trust airline agents at check in to properly verify double vaccination certificates. There are no problems with these certificates at any of our local airports.

As to his predictions of massive cruise numbers returning very few of our clients want to go on any cruise anytime soon. They fear for their health in such close surroundings. As of today we have very few bookings for cruises and sadly no bookings for The Bahamas through to spring. It has gone from our most popular destination to the lowest in interest.

Your Tourism Minister has to leave the fantasy world and face the real world where your chief economic activity is being severely damaged by policies which are deterring rather than encouraging your all important tourist numbers. The Health Visa has to go and you must return to previous entry rules immediately.

JOHN LANCASTER

Princeton, New Jersey,

USA

September 6, 2021.

Visit link:

Have rethink on travel rules, please - Bahamas Tribune

By Alexander Cole

Back in 2020,Ice Cubehad big aspirations for his BIG3 basketball league. After starting in 2017,theoperation saw three successful seasons that drew in larger and larger crowds with each game. The BIG3 was becoming the premier destination for 3-on-3 professional basketball, and its product was unique enough to set itself apart from every other basketball league in the world. Heading into what would have been last season, the league was ready to change the product further thanks to its new Fireball3 rules package, which would allow coaches to challenge fouls and have a one-on-one showdown called Bring The Heat, as opposed to the usual free throw.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 forced the league to shut down for a year which prompted Ice Cube to come up with new ways to keep the BIG3 going. For instance, there were rumors that Cube would executive produce a reality show in which all of the leagues players live in one big house where they also play tournaments for cash prizes. It was an ambitious idea that never came to fruition, however, Cube still had massivehopes for 2021, and he was able to execute big time.

One of Cubes big goals was to have the BIG3 play in international markets, and 2021 was the perfect opportunity to get that done with travel opening up overseas. Early this season,Cube announced that the playoffs and championship game would be played at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in Nassau, Bahamas, which was certainly great motivation for the leagues players to give it their all. On Saturday, September 4th, the championship game was played between the 3 Headed Monsters and the Trilogy. It was the Trilogy who came out on top,thanks to the heroics of Jarrett Jack, and the coaching of Stephen Jackson.

While we were there, we got to catch up withIce Cube, who spoke to us about his love for the game, the challenges of growing a brand new league, and why he ultimately chose the Bahamas as the host country forthe BIG3s fourth championship game.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

HNHH: So firstly, you created the BIG3 about four years ago. What was your main goal when you first started the league?

Ice Cube:Just as a fan, want to see guys I know who had honed these skills to the highest level, continue to play at a high level. I knowwiththe NBA, sometimes its not even an age thing, its a numbers game, and you have fifteen people on the team. So you have a lot of talent on the sidelines, and to have a league where they can display that, entertain the people in the summer, because if youre not a baseball fan, soccer, golf, you know, or preseason football, youre not really being satisfied in the summer. I knew that there was a kind of a void in the industry and a league done the right way will work.

For sure, and seeing the growth of the league, how do you feel like youve do you feel like youve reached that goal, or are you getting close to it?

I think with a league you just want to continue to gain more and more fans. I dont know if theres a goal to reach in a way. Its keep people interested in the league, continue to grow the league, make sure the league, you know, comes back year after year, develop a fan base, grow the fan base. Theres like 10, 20 years of work ahead of us, you know what I mean, to make sure this league has its roots in the ground. With something like this, its an ongoing project, thats never, you should never be satisfied, we should always want more.

You have built a pretty large fanbase so far, What are some of the rules and elements of the BIG3 that you really think that have you know, helped grow the fanbase, and sustain the fanbase as well.

We have some great rules, the big ones are a four-point shot for points circles. Also the one shot free throws, instead of two shots. You know, somebody is taking the three-pointer, nobody wants to see him shoot three free throws, you know, so its one for three, one for two. And if youre shooting four, nobody definitely wanna see four free throws, so its one for four. No time clock. So first50 win,you have to win by two, but we have a shot clock, so cant just hold the ball. You gotta shoot it, you gotta get it up there, so it moves very fast. You can see a BIG3 game in an hour, where in the NBA, it takes about two and a half, three, before the game is over, so its a fast moving game, and I think its good, perfect, for the new sports fan who dont have a lotta time.

And this year you implemented the Fireball3 Package. What kind of prompted you guys to go with that?

Well, we got a rule presented by Taco Bell called Bring the Fire. And its a rule where a coach can challenge a foul, a shooting foul, once a half. And instead of the foul, they had the guys go one-on-one for the call, so if you make it, good basket. If you miss it, foul comes off the board. I think its what the fans wanna see, you know, not referees controlling the game, but the actual players in control of their own fate. So its a great rule, people love when the best players go one-on-one, you know, even in the NBA, they love to see it so, you have this ruleuniquefor the BIG3 is perfect.

You were saying youre such a massive sports fan. So what has it been like being able to grow the league and watch it come together like this?

Its been very fun, just seeing the league develop, just seeing the graphics, seeing the teams, seeing fans in the jerseys, fans in the t-shirts. Knowing that the league is growing organically, also that young people love the league. You know, young people play3-on-3 a lot, at school or on playgrounds, backyards, so its a young game, its new, its fresh, and Im proud of it.

You mentioned 3-on-3, obviously, it became part of the Olympics this year and its much different rules than FIBA, but do you feel like maybe the BIG3 helped really popularize3-on-3 basketball and make it more of something that people wanna watch day in and day out?

No doubt. You know, if you look at the history, theyve been around for a long time, FIBA. 3-on-3, which is that amateur version of 3-on-3.But it wasnt until we announced, in 2017 that we was going to make a professional version of three on three, that the Olympics finally came around and said this is a sport that they wanted to adapt. What we do in the Big Three is a lot different than what they doing in FIBA. BIG3 I think is a better game to play and a better game to watch, and were proud to have the best3-on-3 league in the world, so its cool what theyre doing, that comes around every four years. We come around every year. So get with us.

You guys have been in the Bahamas for about a week now. What sparked the decision to have the finals in an international location?

Just go outside and look around, you know. [Laughs]

Its a beautiful location. Players are excited. In 2020 and 2019, we had gone to 18 different cities in the States, so to be able to go international with the league is something thats part of our plan. We went to Toronto, we had a plan to go to China before the pandemic. So this is where we wanna be, we want to, you know, do our championship in some of the best places, most exotic places in the world. Big basketball towns. You know, we do want to reward the best teams in our league.

And did you find that the players maybe put in a little bit extra effort into it at the end of the season, you know, to get that trip over here?

Without a doubt. Theyve been talking about it all season. And I always say if they didnt, if they didnt want to play hard, they wives and their girlfriends would make them play hard to get over here for that, you know, free paid vacation. So its been a great time for our league coming back after the pandemic to cap it off with champagne in the Bahamas, like why not?

So where do you see the league in 5 to 10 years from now?

More teams. Were working on what we call the Big Cup, which is like the World Cup, but for 3-on-3 basketball. We invite countries from all over the world, submit teams and play the BIG3 rules. See whos the best in the world for real. And you know, just grow the brand, grow the fan base, make our sponsors happy. Make our partners, our players, and coaches, happy.

Well thank you very much for taking the time.

No problem.

See more here:

Via Hot New Hip Hop: Ice Cube Talks Growing The BIG3, Playing In The Bahamas, & Popularizing 3-On-3 Basketball BIG3 - BIG3 Basketball