Graybeard, 46 years old Cuttino Mobley Playing basketball is, in and of itself, a bit of fun, but not a needle-picking motor.
Big3 athletes still have some of the skills they possessed when competing in the NBA. The hand-eye coordination is there. Damn, Joe Johnson is as smart as he was at The Association.
But the biggest problem for former professionals and retired NBA players show the remaining skills they have left? They can’t jump that high.
Don’t fret. I have a solution to fix Big3: Trampolines.
Let’s revive SlamBall and incorporate it into Big3. I will watch it weekly. It will be TV appointment. It would be a scenario from a house to a penthouse with Colin Kaepernick recently invested during the tournament, avoid the possibility that Ice Cube’s startup sports organization is closed. And this change will make it stand out even more.
Is there a higher risk of injury? Quite possibly, but it shouldn’t soar beyond belief. Plus, part of the appeal of NASCAR is seeing the wrecks. Every time there is a car wreck, a traffic jam, because drivers tend to be rubbery, fascinated by seeing the damage.
SlamBall is played 4v4, but across the court, in contrast to Big3’s semi-finals and 3v3 style. So a stripped down version wouldn’t need to put more players on the field. In between each basket and the 3-point line will be four slides in a rhombus. All misses are worth 3 points in addition to the traditional basketball rule of shooting in and out of the arc.
The field is surrounded by glass panels and substitutions are allowed immediately, just like in hockey. One huge difference from traditional basketball: SlamBall is a full-blown contact sport. With both players on the ground, a hockey-style hip test is legal. If you did that in the NBA, it would be a blatant foul. But don’t worry, the players wear a lot of pads.
The league only ran for three full seasons – 2002, 2003 and a 2008 revival – all featuring players you’ve never heard of and haven’t loved since. Does Sean “Inches” Jackson ring a bell? He did his signature 360-degree, mid-foot acrobatic in games. While you may not have heard of SlamBall’s greatest players, they are good at sports and make matches exciting. Imagine giving that space to players who are already in the limelight and just need a little fire.
While the SlamBall list isn’t filled with memorable names, the coaching ranks are. Knicks legends John Starks, Kenny Anderson, and Rocket Ismail are all head coaches of SlamBall, although they combined in a playoff and went without a win. Name recognition won’t be a problem for Big3.
Big3’s evolution into trampoline basketball will be a real alternative, not a high-profile NBA tour. Since Big3’s debut season in 2017, it has failed to make a mark in the American sports scene. It’s like the Harlem Globetrotters but without as many competitions and traditions. Place four rectangular round balls on the field, and it’s a whole new ball game. And I love every second of it.
