Back in Oakland: Ex-Warriors show out in BIG3 opener

Former Warriors guard Leandro Barbosa on coming back to Oakland: ‘It was a special feeling.’

OAKLAND — BIG3’s opening weekend couldn’t have been more Oakland. 

The popular 3-on-3 basketball league held Week 1 of its seventh season on Saturday at Oakland Arena, the building the Golden State Warriors called home during three of their four NBA championship seasons over the past decade.

Beloved former Warriors such as Leandro Barbosa and Jason Richardson showed they still have enough skills to put the ball in the hoop with ease. Fan favorites Stephen Jackson, Nick Young, Rick Barry and Gary Payton led their teams as coaches on the sidelines. 

Sitting courtside, MC Hammer and current Warriors guard Moses Moody watched as one-time NBA players put on a show in front of thousands of fans. 

And even Oakland rapper Too Short made a cameo, making the crowd dance to his classic hit “Blow the Whistle” during the midway point of the six games played on Saturday. 

The energy that once helped power the Warriors on their dynastic run in what was then called Oracle Arena felt as if it never left. 

“Today was special,” Barbosa said. “I had championships here and I missed the fans. … Being here and playing Jason Richardson who is also a legend in this arena, it was a special feeling.”

Ice Cube and co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz founded the league in 2017. The BIG3 is known for giving NBA veterans and older pro basketball players another avenue to continue playing hoops at the tail end of their careers. 

Games are played to 50 and include a four-point line.

The day opened with a rematch of last season’s championship game between the Enemies and the Triplets. Former NBA All-Star and reigning BIG3 MVP Joe Johnson put on a clinic, hitting every big shot for the Triplets. 

But the Nick Young-coached Enemies came out on top when former Warrior Jordan Crawford hit a Stephen Curry-like game winner 35 feet from the basket. 

Young said starting his coaching career back in the place where he won a championship six years ago meant a lot to him. 

“It felt like home,” Young said, wearing his 2018 championship ring. “It brought back memories because last time I was here, they did the ring ceremony for me. Walking through the tunnel, I picked out my same locker I had when I was here. I remember the parade because it was one of the best moments I felt in my career. The love Oakland showed was amazing and that feeling comes to mind when I come back here.”

The Barbosa-led Ball Hogs played Richardson and team Tri-State in the third game of the day. It was a star-studded coaching battle as well with Barry on the sidelines for the Ball Hogs and Julius “Dr. J” Erving leading Tri-State. 

While Richardson didn’t have the same bounce that won him the back-to-back NBA Slam Dunk Contests in 2002-2003, he still wowed the crowd with his athleticism. The 43-year-old powered down a two-handed slam that drew oohh’s & aahh’s from the Oakland crowd. 

Barbosa, 41, lived up to his “Brazilian Blur” nickname. He slashed to the rim at will and finished with 15 points, including the game-winning corner 3-pointer. 

Barry was happy with the opening day win, but said his team needs to be ready to continue to play at a high level over the next few weeks. 

“The team better be ready every week because the league knows we have a good basketball team,” he said. “We can shoot the three, we can go inside, we can play defense. Now I just have to tell Leandro to stop missing free throws.”

The league has grown in popularity since its founding seven years ago.

Last month, BIG3 sold its first ever expansion team for $10 million that will be based in Los Angeles. On Saturday morning, the league announced it sold another team for the same price that will play out of Miami starting in 2025. 

The first two games on Saturday were nationally televised on CBS while the entirety of Saturday’s game slate was live-streamed on X/Twitter. The live stream reached 2 million viewers domestically, BIG3 representatives told the Bay Area News Group. 

While the BIG3 could have had its opening weekend anywhere, Cube said it was important to him to have this one in Oakland. 

“The Bay is like going over to your cousin’s house,” Cube said in an interview with FOX40 Sacramento. “I’ve been getting support from the Bay in music, movies, television and now sports since I first started. … Everybody ran from Oakland and that’s sad. We want to run to Oakland and bring some love, and show that we appreciate the city and the sports fans in the Bay. We want to celebrate the Bay”