The Detroit Pistons are hoping for a deep playoff run − but even if they don't advance in the NBA playoffs, there will still be basketball played at Little Caesars Arena this summer.
The Detroit Amplifiers announced Wednesday their use of the Detroit venue on July 20. They will debut as one of eight city-based teams in the BIG3, a 3-on-3 basketball league founded in 2017 by music icon and media mogul Ice Cube.
The BIG3 season will begin June 14 at Allstate Arena in Chicago. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. April 11.
The Amplifiers will be coached by NBA hall-of-famer George Gervin, a Detroit native and 12-time All Star who spent 14 seasons between the ABA and NBA.
"We’ve been building toward this moment for years, and now Detroit finally has its BIG3 team," Gervin in a statement. "This city lives and breathes basketball. The Amplifiers will represent Detroit with pride and give fans an exciting summer."
Now approaching its eighth season, the BIG3 is debuting a city-based format that will feature teams from eight cities across the country: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami. Each team will host at least one set of games in their home city.
"This is the most anticipated BIG3 season yet," BIG3 CEO and co-founder Ice Cube said. "Our fans have the chance to be part of history every week when each team makes its hometown debut. Everyone knows that the BIG3 isn’t just what is done on the court – when we come to town, you know there is music, culture, and community to be had."
The upcoming BIG3 season will feature a 10-week tour that will stop in many NBA arenas, including the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, TD Garden in Boston, Kaseya Center in Miami and the Toyota Dome in Houston. The two teams that advance to the championship round will each win a $1 million prize, with the dates and location for the championship round still to be determined.
The Amplifiers became the BIG3's fourth expansion team in July after the Florida investment firm GameAbove Sports purchased the rights to establish Detroit's franchise. GameAbove also owns a stake in the Brisbane Bullets of Australia's National Basketball League and sponsors the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit.
The NBA legend Gervin has coached the BIG3's Ghost Ballers for the last five seasons and was named the 2023 BIG3 Coach of the Year.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: BIG3 basketball coming to Detroit as George Gervin coaches newly established Amplifiers
