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Why Ice Cube’s BIG3 Basketball League Is Focused On Chicago And Dallas

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Why Ice Cube’s BIG3 Basketball League Is Focused On Chicago And Dallas


Throughout its first three years, Ice Dice’s BIG3 basketball league was a touring highway present, visiting completely different locations each weekend of the summer season.

For the 2022 season, which debuted June 18, the 3-on-3 league is taking part in its first two weeks in Chicago, and the final six of the common season are in Dallas.

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The change in technique is basically a results of penalties of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Though we’re turning the nook within the pandemic, we’re not out of the woods but,” mentioned BIG3 CEO Chris Hannan. “And so working round metropolis to metropolis with completely different kind of native and state laws, it’s onerous. So for us, the most effective factor for us to do was proceed to maneuver round however scale back the overall cities.”

Chicago and Dallas have been chosen partially as a consequence of their centralized places.

“Our coaches and gamers are situated all through the nation,” mentioned BIG3 chairman of the board Amy Trask.

It makes the logistics — which entails 72 gamers and coaches, together with Dr. J, Gary Payton and George Gervin, arriving every weekend — simpler however not essentially cheaper.

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“In some regards you’re simply substituting some bills for others,” Trask mentioned. “You don’t should put the courtroom and the tools and the uniforms on a truck and get them elsewhere … however you do should discover a place to retailer them.”

Trask, who beforehand served as CEO of the Raiders from 1997 to 2013, and Hannan mentioned the energy of the Dallas and Chicago sports activities markets made them excellent places for the 2022 regular-season video games.

“They’ve been two of the pillars of the BIG3 since 2017,” Hannan mentioned.

Within the 2019 common season, Dallas hosted the BIG3 Ballout, which included on-court performances by hip hop artists T.I. and Yella Beezy and a sequence of clinics for space youth all through the weekend.

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“We have been welcomed with open arms by Mark Cuban,” Trask mentioned.

Limiting the video games to Dallas’ Comerica Middle, the place the G League’s Texas Legends play, and Chicago, the place the video games are performed at Credit score Union 1 Area on the campus of the College of Illinois-Chicago, additionally made sense due to a loaded summer season. Locations across the nation are enthusiastically internet hosting many indoor occasions once more, and securing area area has turn into tougher.

“It was based mostly on venue availability,” Hannan mentioned. “Live shows are again. Final summer season, venues nonetheless weren’t getting booked.”

After the 2022 common season concludes in Chicago after which Dallas, the BIG3 contests are headed farther and farther east. The playoff video games are slated to be held in Tampa and Atlanta, after which the Atlantis resort within the Bahamas hosts an All-Star Recreation.

“There’s a circulation to our season,” Hannan mentioned.

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Two years in the past the circulation of the BIG3 — like most different issues in life — was interrupted.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the league didn’t play in 2020.

Then, final yr’s video games have been slated to happen in Las Vegas — a metropolis with the services and infrastructure to create a bubble environment if wanted and a vacation spot inside driving distance of Los Angeles, the house of many staffers, together with Ice Dice — and New Orleans, the place the BIG3 has sturdy connections.

When Covid-19 spiked in New Orleans in 2021, the league was compelled to shift video games to Dallas, Chicago and Milwaukee.

Wanting towards the long run, subsequent season ought to normalize, and there’s a robust probability that it’s going to function an growth of groups (from 12 to 16) and an growth of its weekly locations.

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“Finally, we’ll transfer again round to fifteen, 16 cities, however this yr I’m actually proud of our schedule.” Hannan mentioned. “It was only a sensible transfer for us this yr.”



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Dallas, TX

Cowboys fan survey: What happens this postseason? Future of Dallas' big three

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Cowboys fan survey: What happens this postseason? Future of Dallas' big three


In previous years, we have published a Dallas Cowboys survey around this time to gauge how fans feel about the current state of the franchise. Considering the disastrous end to the 2023 season, we published a 12-question survey in January. With training camp about to begin next week in California, we’re circling back with 12 more questions.

This installment includes two write-in questions where we are just looking for one player’s name for each response. We also have one longer response question where we’d like fans to share several sentences about what currently tops their list of frustrations with the franchise that hasn’t reached the conference championship game in 28 years.

Thank you in advance for your participation. We will publish the results next Monday morning.

If you can’t access the questions below, try this link. On the Android app, users will need to use two fingers to scroll through the embedded form.

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(Photo of Dak Prescott: Ryan Kang / Getty Images)



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3 things from the Mavericks 108-88 Summer League loss to the Memphis Grizzlies

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3 things from the Mavericks 108-88 Summer League loss to the Memphis Grizzlies


The Dallas Mavericks Summer League squad got absolutely thumped 108-88 against the Memphis Grizzlies Monday night in Las Vegas, in a game that wasn’t even as close as the score suggested.

This game was never in question, as Dallas fell behind 25-4 in the opening minutes of the first quarter and never recovered. The Mavericks had one of the sloppiest games in Summer League history with an astonishing 27 turnovers, which led to 36 points for Memphis.

The Grizzlies constant ball pressure was no match for the Mavericks overwhelmed guards, who kept coughing it up at almost every opportunity. From there the Grizzlies dominated in transition, finishing with 58 points in the paint. Memphis forward G.G. Jackson led all scorers with 23 points, while Dallas forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper led the Mavericks with 16 points.

Dallas now falls to 0-2 in Vegas, while Memphis improves to 2-0. The Mavericks have another chance.

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This was an ass-kicking

I’ve watched a lot of Summer League games, and I’ve seen a lot of sloppy and disjointed basketball. It’s just the nature of throwing together a bunch of rookies, younger players, and journeymen trying to find a place in their professional careers. Even with all those qualifiers, this Mavericks loss might have been one of the ugliest Summer League performances I’ve ever seen.

I already mentioned the team started off down 25-4 in the first quarter, and it just never got any better. The Mavericks literally couldn’t dribble the ball — it was turnover after turnover after turnover. The first half felt like a Globetrotters game, with the Grizzlies skying for alley-oops almost every other possession. With about two minutes left in the third quarter the score was 80-46 and the Mavericks had 23 turnovers and only 17 made field goals.

Dallas cleaned things up a little in the fourth to make it seem respectable, and inch that made field goals number past the turnovers. But the Mavericks still finished with 27 turnovers. Memphis has one of the better Summer League rosters with NBA contributors G.G. Jackson and Scotty Pippen Jr. in their starting lineup, but this was….woof. This was difficult to watch.

More struggles for O-Max

After scoring just 11 points on 2-of-10 shooting in the Mavericks first Summer League game on Friday, Olivier Maxence-Prosper improved against the Grizzlies, but it was still a difficult game for the Mavericks first round pick from last summer.

Propser led the team with 16 points, but struggled from the floor again shooting 6-of-14. In the first half he had just two points on 1-of-6 shooting, and was struggling until garbage time in the fourth quarter, although basically 75 percent of this game was garbage time. Prosper made three straight shots in the fourth to salvage his shooting line, but he still looked a bit rough.

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Thankfully for the Mavericks, his motor never shut off. Propser played hard, and he still flashes some really fun defensive potential, but his offense just isn’t suited for Summer League, where he’s being asked to take shots he just never will in an NBA setting. Prosper did rebound from three in this one, going 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Hopefully Prosper can keep improving going into the next game.

We’re all struggling

Speaking of struggles….well have you seen Mavs Moneyball lately? I kid, I kid, but if you take a gander at the home page of our website, you’ll notice the content just hasn’t been flowing like it usually is and these brutal Summer League games definitely don’t help.

It was a long season for our staff, with a frankly unexpected NBA Finals run. Most of the senior staff and editors are way too old to be blogging as a side gig or hobby (raises hand!) and I think most of us were all a little burnt out after the Finals ended since we put so much effort into doing our best to cover the playoff run. We just don’t have a lot left in the tank.

To be honest, I can’t in good conscious recommend you continue watching the Mavericks Summer League. With Dallas’ roster locked in as a contender, there just isn’t much room for any of these guys to contribute at the NBA level, and that’s even if Prosper was lighting it up. NBA contenders don’t normally need Summer League standouts to soak up minutes during the regular season, so that’s no slight to these players or the Mavericks roster construction. On the contrary: Dallas has done such a good job building its NBA roster over the last 18 months that it makes Summer League a quaint luxury.

So maybe find some time to recharge before the real games tip off again in just a few months. October is not that far away! We’ll keep writing about these games of course (unless we forget), and we’ll try to rev up the content machine in earnest before the summer ends. Sorry for the dry spell, we’ll be back at full speed soon enough. Or just keep watching these Summer League games because you’re a true sicko — no kink shaming here.

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Dallas Zoo 2024 Dollar Days: Things to know

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Dallas Zoo 2024 Dollar Days: Things to know


Families are expected to pack into the Dallas Zoo on Thursday for deep Dollar Day discounts.

The annual promotion is happening twice this summer. The zoo is dropping its admission price to just $1 on July 18 and Aug. 6.

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Dollar Day also features discounted snacks and drinks, and this year Whataburger will hand out swag to help guests beat the heat.

What is Dollar Day at the Dallas Zoo? 

The Dallas Zoo Dollar Day is when the zoo slashes the cost of admission to just $1.

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It’s an annual event that also includes discounts on food and drinks. 

Guests can still experience all of the zoo’s usual attractions like Destination Dinosaurs, the virtual reality experience Wild Explorer, bird and giraffe feedings, the carousel, and more. 

When are the 2024 Dollar Days at the Dallas Zoo?

The first Dollar Day is Thursday, July 18. The zoo will open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. The second day will be August 6.

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What time does the zoo open?

Even though the Dallas Zoo closes earlier during the summer, it will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for both Dollar Days. 

Gates to the zoo’s parking lot open at 7 a.m.

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Where do I buy tickets?

Guests are required to purchase their tickets online. Tickets will not be sold on-site. 

Tickets are sold out for Thursday, July 18 but some are still available for August 6.

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How much does it cost to park at the Dallas Zoo on Dollar Day?

The Dallas Zoo suggests that guests use a ride service to bring them to the event. Parking will be limited due to the high volume of people. 

The DART Red Line travels directly to the Zoo’s entrance. 

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Those who do decide to drive must pay $12 for parking. That fee will be collected at the ticket booths where entrance tickets are scanned.

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Why does Dallas Zoo do Dollar Days?

The Dallas Zoo said the purpose of this annual event is to celebrate and recognize the community’s support for the zoo throughout the year. It also said the Dollar Days ensure the zoo’s accessibility to all as they work to stay one of the Metroplex’s most cost-efficient experiences.

How do I stay safe from the heat?

The Dallas Zoo has added more than two dozen misting fans in key areas around the zoo to give guests some relief from the heat.

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The Dollar Day sponsor, Whataburger, will also be at the zoo handing out themed cooling towels and fans to help guests cool down.

Guests are also encouraged to bring a refillable water bottle and sunscreen.



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