Superstars of Basketball & Hip-Hop at BIG3 Ballout in Dallas

by Aki Wada & Julie Tereshchuk on August 22, 2019 in Entertainment, Music, Dallas/Fort Worth, Sports,
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Question: What do you get when you mix a fast and furious basketball league with fan favorites of hip-hop? Answer: The BIG3 Ballout.

The 3-on-3 half-court pro basketball league co-founded by Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz features All-Stars, Hall of Famers and World Champions. And if that wasn’t enough, the BIG3—-now in its third year—-decided to mix it up last weekend in Dallas for the final week of the 2019 regular season. 

Music legend T.I. and young star and Dallas native Yella Beezy amped up the already star-studded festival. For the six BIG3 playoff games, the crowd at the American Airlines Center was treated to not only former Dallas Mavericks and 2011 NBA Champions Jason Terry (BIG3 Trilogy) and Deshawn Stevenson (BIG3 Ball Hogs) but also basketball greats Joe Johnson, Amar’e Stoudemire, Royce White, Gilbert Arenas, Rashard Lewis, Glen Davis, Josh Smith and Stephen Jackson.

We had a courtside seat — and here’s a selection of our favorite moments.

Photo Aki Wada
Photo Aki Wada
Photo Aki Wada
Photo Aki Wada
Photo Aki Wada
Photo Aki Wada
Photo Aki Wada
Photo Aki Wada
Photo Aki Wada
T.I. lights up the American Airlines Center during the inaugural BIG3 Ballout. As well as his musical talent, T.I. is also known for his acting skills, including a role in Marvel’s Ant-Man series. Photo Aki Wada
During his career, T.I. has released 10 albums, with seven cracking the US Billboard 200 top-five, including Billboard Hot 100 number one hits “Live Your Life” and “Whatever You Like.” Photo Aki Wada
Dallas native and rising star Yella Beezy performs at last weekend’s BIG3 Ballout basketball and entertainment festival. His song “That’s On Me” hit 23 million views on YouTube in under six months. Photo Aki Wada

Cover photo Aki Wada

Aki Wada is a Dallas-based photographer. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
Julie Tereshchuk is the Editor-in-Chief of Texas Lifestyle Magazine.