BIG3 League and Founder Sued for $250 Million

September 5, 2017 | Legal News, Uncategorized

BIG3 League and founder, Ice Cube, Hit With $250 Million Lawsuit

A competitor of BIG3, the Champions Basketball League, filed a $250 million lawsuit last week against Ice Cube and the BIG3 league.

The Champions Basketball League claims that Ice Cube took their players and proprietary ideas.

The Champion Basketball League’s founder, Carl George, claims that Ice Cue and BIG3 co-founder Jeff Jwainetz, got close the their executives and players to steal ideas. 

George also claims that BIG3 and the Champions Basketball League originally teamed up as partners, to create a mutually beneficial startup and compete with the NBA. However, Ice Cube and his team quietly broke off.

The lawsuit alleges that Ice Cube threatened BIG3 players who wanted to compete in Champions Basketball League games.

Ice Cube supposedly threatened wage fines, replacing them, or that he would disqualify them from receiving their bonuses.

Originally, when the Champions Basketball League started out, they recruited former NBA players who still had the desire to compete on a competitive level. They also sought out players who didn’t make their teams due to salary cap restrictions. Unfortunately, the Champions Basketball League didn’t sign their players to exclusive contracts.

Ice Cube and the BIG3 supposedly went after many of the Champions Basketball League’s players, but made the players sign exclusive contracts.

During the NBA off season, the BIG3 was very successful during its first season. The first title game was played in late August, which also marked the end of their first season.

The papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court claim, “When certain players expressed their desire to participate in the CBL games, Mr. Cube confronted the players personally about playing in the CBL and threatened the players that they would be fined, not allowed to participate in the 52% of revenues bonus pool, or replaced on their teams. These threats were also shared with the CBL. The BIG3 was aware that it signed at least 20 players who also signed contracts with the CBL.”

Ice Cube, nor his attorneys, have publicly responded to the lawsuit.