Former Dallas Mavericks Thriving in BIG 3 Basketball League

The Dallas Mavericks have a few former players currently playing in the BIG 3 League founded by Ice Cube. Many former NBA stars are currently playing, but two former Mavs have been lighting up the score sheets.

If you haven’t heard of the BIG 3 League founded by Ice Cube, you are really missing out on some special entertainment. The league currently has 8 teams led by former NBA players (All-Stars, Hall of Famers, even some legends) and played in almost exclusively by retired NBA athletes.

Some of the notable players in the league include Allen Iverson, Jason Williams, Chauncey Billups, Al Harrington, Jermaine O’Neal, Brian Scalabrine, and more. The coaches of the teams may be even more notable as Dr. J, Clyde Drexler, Rick Barry, George Gervin, Rick Mahorn, Charles Oakley, Gary Payton, and Allen Iverson are the coaches across the league.

Only a few of the players in the league currently are former Dallas Mavericks, but the two that are have both had excellent seasons with their current teams. DeShawn Stevenson, playing for the team “Power”, and Mike James, for the team “Tri-State” have both had exceptional seasons.

The Big 3 only has 8 weeks of season play before the playoffs. Post-season play began this last weekend and will finish with the naming of a champion this coming weekend. Both James’ and Stevenson’s teams have been eliminated from the championship game with “Power” still having a shot at third place.

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Stevenson has been especially good this year, averaging 15.7 points per game. He scored the 6th most total points in the league while his teammate, Cuttino Mobley scored the 4th most. Between the two of them, they were averaging nearly 34 points in a game that ends after the first team gets to 50 points (win by 2). That is pretty impressive.

Stevenson also had averages of 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 26.5 minutes per game. He also led the league in 3-point field goals made for the season with 34. Second place only had 20. All this done while Stevenson wore the iconic #92 jersey, just like his days with the Mavs.

Mike James, on the other hand, had a less successful season, but still was one of the better scorers in the league. Averaging 14 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, James did great with his “Tri-State” team. James ended up being the leader of his team, which included Bonzi Wells, Lou Amundson, and others.

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It is a cool experience to see some of these former Mavericks getting to play even more after retirement, especially Stevenson, who helped the Mavs earn their one and only NBA Championship to date. Keep an eye out for the BIG 3 in the future as it is sure to be some fun summer entertainment for years to come.

(All stats via turbostats.com)