The BIG3 brought its summer basketball tour to the Intuit Dome in Inglewood this week, with CBS Sports broadcasting the event live to a national audience.
The league’s Instagram account posted a photo from inside the arena and kept the caption short: “Its a family affair at the @intuitdome live on @cbssports.” Photographer Chapman Baehler received a formal credit on the post, a name more commonly tied to music and entertainment work than to basketball photography.
BIG3 was founded in 2017 by Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The pitch was to give former NBA players a competitive outlet and give fans a chance to see them play again. The format is 3-on-3. Games move faster than standard regulation, and the circuit covers multiple cities across the summer. Nine years in, the league is still on CBS Sports and still pulling in crowds. That’s harder to sustain than it might seem.
The Intuit Dome adds something to this week’s stop. The arena opened in September 2024 as the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers, ending the team’s long run at Crypto.com Arena downtown. It sits close to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and has quickly become one of the marquee venues in the country. For a touring league, time in a building like that matters.
CBS Sports has been part of the BIG3 equation for years. Getting a national television deal is one thing. Keeping it is another. Alternative basketball has a history of leagues that started with buzz and faded without broadcast support. BIG3 has held onto its CBS home, and that matters. National television reaches fans who can’t make it to Inglewood. It also keeps the league in the sports conversation. That helps with sponsorships and long-term visibility.
The “family affair” framing makes sense for what BIG3 is selling. The league doesn’t run on trade drama or title races. The pull is more personal than that. Fans who grew up watching certain players in the NBA get another chance to see them run. Kids who never saw those players in their prime get a first look. That’s a real reason to show up.
Baehler’s credit on the post is worth noting. He’s known for serious editorial and portrait work. His name on a basketball league’s Instagram post suggests BIG3 is putting real thought into its visual production. Good photography extends the life of an event well beyond the final buzzer.
The summer schedule typically runs through August, with stops at arenas across the country. This week’s Intuit Dome date, with CBS Sports carrying the broadcast, fits the image the league is trying to project. Nine years in, BIG3 is still showing up at the right venues with the right broadcast partner. The formula hasn’t changed much. The lane it’s in still has room.
