Ice Cube talks BIG3's public stock launch, Atlanta expansion hopes and Angel Reese's star power

Ice Cube has big plans for his basketball league, and Atlanta is part of them.

The rapper, actor and BIG3 co-founder spoke with CBS News Atlanta this week to discuss the three-on-three basketball league's move to go public, its push to expand into Atlanta, and a roster that now includes former Hawks center Dwight Howard heading into the league's ninth season.

Ice Cube said the idea for BIG3 actually traces back to Atlanta. He was in the city filming the movie "Fist Fight" when Kobe Bryant played what turned out to be his final NBA game, scoring 60 points. Ice Cube couldn't make it to the game in person.

"I got upset because I couldn't see Kobe play no more," Ice Cube said. "I had paid 20 years to see him play for the Lakers and so I was trippin' out. I said, man, if somebody could score 60 points, they could still play. They may not be able to play the NBA schedule, but 10 games to 50?"

That frustration sparked the idea for a league built around stars who could still play but not at a full NBA pace. He settled on three-on-three basketball rather than five-on-five, calling the format "the little cousin of five on five" and deciding to "professionalize it."

Nine years later, BIG3 has gone public, allowing fans and investors to buy into the league's growth.

"It feels great because it gives the average sports fan or just investor a chance to be a part of the upside of a league," Ice Cube said. "We plan to be here as long as the NBA."

Ice Cube pointed to Atlanta's basketball and music culture as a reason the city matters to BIG3, even though it doesn't yet have a team.

"It's really the culture, the intersection of basketball, music and culture," he said. "We've always had great crowds every time we've come through and we want to make sure we stop through this year even though we don't have a team there yet. We want a team there."

According to Ice Cube, BIG3 currently has four team owners — in Houston, Miami, Los Angeles and Detroit — with four more teams currently for sale. The league's broader goal is to expand to 12, 16, 20 and eventually 24 teams, with Atlanta among the markets the league hopes lands an ownership group.

"It's just really coming up with the money and the vision and putting a team together to purchase," he said.

Dwight Howard, who spent three seasons with the Hawks across his career, joined BIG3 last season and is back for his second year in the league. Ice Cube said he was surprised Howard wanted to keep playing at that level.

"He loves basketball, he loves the game, he loves to perform for the fans and he's competitive," Ice Cube said. He added that BIG3 has built a track record of attracting recognizable names, including Allen Iverson, Joe Johnson, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Cuttino Mobley. "We don't just want your name. We want your game. Some guys are still ready to play. We want you there."

Ice Cube also weighed in on Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese, who has drawn national attention to the city's basketball scene.

"She has star power, of course, and she can play," Ice Cube said. "She's built to play down low. She's not just a pretty face. She actually can ball. She's only gonna get better and become the superstar of the league that she's already become."

Asked whether BIG3 could ever include women players, Ice Cube said the decision isn't his to make, it belongs to the league's player captains, who select their own teams each season.

"It's really about putting together a squad you think can win the championship," he said. "Some guy thinks he can win with the ladies, then go for it."

Looking ahead, Ice Cube said he wants BIG3 to become the biggest basketball league in the world, drawing a comparison to soccer's World Cup.

"There's no reason why we cannot have the Big Cup," he said. "Have the best three-on-three leagues in the world playing in a major tournament. That's my vision for the league, and we're on our way."