DETROIT – Two years, two homecomings, two very different results.
The Big3, Ice Cube’s professional 3-on-3 league, kicked off its third season at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday night, an event that brought former Pistons player Josh Smith back to the Motor City where he was showered with boos.
The welcome was stark contrast to the league’s 2018 stop in Detroit, which featured the return of Mr. Big Shot Chauncey Billups, who was given a standing ovation.
Those boos for Smith quickly turned to cheers however, after Smith, suiting up for expansion team Bivouac, was ejected shortly after the start of his team’s game with Enemies when he got into a skirmish with Royce White.
The two big men exchanged words following a foul call on the former NBA All-Star. The back-and-forth escalated into some pushing and shoving, before the two were broken up. After a brief discussion, the referees ejected both first-year players for the night.
Bivouac ultimately won the game 50-43 behind 22 points from former Pistons PG Will Bynum, who was cheered throughout the night.
It’s the second-straight year the Detroit faithful have seen an unfavored player leave a Big3 game by ejection. Longtime Pistons nemesis and “Malice and the Palace” front man Metta World Peace was kicked out moments into the first game in Detroit in 2018.
Smith was unceremoniously released by the Pistons after a dreadful start to the 2014-15 season. Even more annoying to Pistons fans, the team is still paying him $5.3 million next year under the NBA’s stretch provision.
Detroit showed up for the event, with 14,235 fans in attendance for the three-game slate.
In other games, reigning BIG3 champion Power topped 3’s Company in a 2018 championship rematch. Cuttino Mobley led the way with 28 points (including 5-of-7 on 3-point shots), six rebounds and four assists.
3-Headed Monsters defeated Trilogy behind 22 points from Reggie Evans in the opening game of the night.
The night also featured a musical performance from Ice Cube, who thanked Detroit for its continued support of the league with a halftime address and performance of “Today Was a Good Day.”