00:00Pretty momentous inflection point for a big three, something that you started, something that has grown and now a company
00:07that is about to go public.
00:09Talk a little bit about the journey and what you plan to do next.
00:15You know, we looked at it at first, you know, I looked at this as a fan, you know, people
00:21wanted more hoops.
00:22We all had a basketball hangover after the finals was over. And and then as as me and and the
00:33co-founder, Jeff Quantinence, started to really investigate three on three around the world.
00:39We saw that it was huge. You know, the three sports that work everywhere in the world are soccer, basketball
00:48and boxing, fighting, MMA.
00:52And so we we saw, oh, man, there's a void in the industry. And, you know, could we take three
00:59on three pro?
01:00So it was all about, you know, making sure the league was credible, making sure the game was credible, fun
01:07to play, fun to watch.
01:10Then we got, you know, some Hall of Famers to endorse the league and be a part of the league
01:15and are still part of the league since day one.
01:18Like Dr. Clyde Drexler, Iceman, George Girvin. And so we knew we had something that was great and that the
01:32public really endorsed it, too.
01:35You know, they started to watch, you know, our ratings are incredible.
01:39We got to a point, you know, we got through COVID, you know, with a young league.
01:45Yeah. You know, that was pretty difficult. And then, you know, growing it, city model.
01:51And now we're at a point where we believe we've calibrated the sport and we have a global vision for
01:59it.
01:59So now's the time. And we're talking about a valuation for a league.
02:03I mean, we're talking about less than 10 years ago when you started this, a pre-money valuation now around
02:08300 million dollars.
02:10When you go public, potentially it could actually rise to more than that.
02:14When you start to look at what this can be and the idea that you will effectively be probably the
02:19only pure play sports league that's publicly traded on a U.S. exchange.
02:24What type of pressure does that put on you to make sure that you deliver for investors and not just
02:30yourself?
02:33You know, bring it on. Like, you know, the pressure of of not letting down my heroes like Dr. J
02:39and and Clyde Drexler and all the players that play in the league is immense.
02:46And so, you know, we love the pressure. You know, that's what we deal with.
02:50And we feel like this is our our path to a huge success.
02:56And why shouldn't the public get in on it?
03:00You know, now as a fan or as a person who loves basketball globally, you know, it's hard to be
03:08a part of it.
03:09You know, you can you can bet you can watch you can buy merchandise.
03:13But you have no you have no, you know, no, no chance to get be part of the upside.
03:21And so, you know, for us to be the first league to step out there and offer this is right
03:30up our alley.
03:31We said we was changing the game and we're still doing it.
03:35Q, what is your message to fans now that fans can be investors and can say, hey, this is what
03:40I want to see?
03:40What's your message to fans now that they can be investors?
03:45Support the league, you know, help us grow this thing.
03:49You know, it took a lot of leagues, you know, a long time to get traction, to get this kind
03:55of attention.
03:56You know, the NHL just put out their their ratings and our ratings are still better than theirs.
04:04So we have a young league that everybody's excited about.
04:08We're about to, you know, really put the, you know, I know SpaceX is going on.
04:15We really about to put the boost and take it to the next level.
04:21And the public should they're going to help us do this.
04:24So they might as well get in on it and be a part of it.
04:28Q, are you prepared for quarterly earning calls?
04:32Trust me, you know, they're no harder than dealing with our team owners.
04:36So, you know, ready for them for sure.
04:40You know, we laugh about it, but it also gets to this idea and even bringing up SpaceX Cube,
04:44this idea that a lot of companies these days and their CEOs are speaking a lot more directly to their
04:50fan base,
04:51for lack of a better phrase, sort of the individual investor and the folks that have much more of a
04:55belief,
04:55not just in the stock and the financials, but in the people behind it.
05:00And obviously, you've got a great partner that you're dealing with right now.
05:03Obviously, you are a legendary name yourself as an entertainer and an actor and an entrepreneur.
05:10And it does raise the question as to how you actually want to market this as an investment.
05:16The idea is that do you need Wall Street in the traditional sense that a normal company would?
05:24You know, I lead from the front.
05:25I don't lead from the back.
05:27So I'm very visible, very out there.
05:30I understand it takes strong leadership, visible leadership to do something like this.
05:37I've looked at, you know, things like what Vince McMahon did with the WWE, growing that.
05:46And so, you know, we're part of this and we feel like we're at the point, you know,
05:53raising money is a hard, hard job and it's time consuming.
05:59And, you know, this frees us up to really do what we do best, you know, promote, market, blow the
06:08league up.
06:09We have a global vision for, you know, they got the World Cup here.
06:13You know, we want to have the big cup, you know, three on three around the world, you know,
06:18coming and having the same impact one day.
06:22So, you know, I feel like, you know, look, if you looked at my career, my whole career from music
06:30to movies and now sports,
06:34please believe it and bet on Cube, you know, at the end of the day.
06:38Take you to the promised land.
06:40I am curious about how you woo athletes into this space.
06:43You've obviously got a lot of big names, both on the business side, but also on the court as well.
06:47Now that your profile is going to be raised even further as a publicly traded company,
06:52and your sort of ambitions to expand, is there somebody that you want to go after that maybe you think
06:58you can get?
07:00As players?
07:02Yeah, as players.
07:04Whoever want to smoke.
07:09Some guys, when they retire or they leave the NBA, they're done.
07:13Their body is done.
07:14They know it.
07:15They don't have that uff in them.
07:18And we don't want those players.
07:19We want the players that still got a chip on their shoulder, still want to show the world that they're
07:24the best at their craft and can still play at a high level.
07:28And we're creating our own star as well.
07:32So, the league, you know, is just really ready to explode as far as, you know, we only have eight
07:41teams now.
07:42You know, we want to go to 12, 16, 20, you know, and get as large as some of the
07:48other leagues have a bigger footprint.
07:53And, you know, if you've been watching us for the last nine years, you know what the big three is
08:00about.
08:01And either players want to smoke or they don't.
08:05And I don't mind if you don't want to smoke.
08:07Just come sit next to me and we'll watch from the sideline.
08:11But if you still want to play at a high level and the NBA doesn't have a place for you,
08:17the big three does.
08:19Q, you did mention your history of music business, film business, and now the sports business.
08:24I wonder for you personally, which one was the hardest to break through?
08:29Sports.
08:30Why is that?
08:33Well, if you really look at the history of leagues, you know, a lot of them fail in the first
08:38year or two new leagues.
08:41I mean, so, you know, to get over that hump to, you know, to have the public really accept the
08:49credibility of play, the style of play.
08:53You know, the NBA getting a lot of flack about the style of play.
08:58They don't think they play as hard, not enough defense, low management.
09:04You don't have that with the big three.
09:06People love our style of play.
09:08Every game counts.
09:10You know, no low management in the big three.
09:15And everybody play to win.
09:16The incentives are there to win the game.
09:19And so we've calibrated the league to a point where it's a great sport.
09:28You know, and we have the best league in the world, and it's not even close.
09:34If slash when this IPO is successful, what message do you think the big three sends to black founders who
09:42are trying to build major sports businesses?
09:46Well, not just black founders, but all founders.
09:49Anybody with a dream, you know, first you have the dream.
09:53Then you put the plan together.
09:55And then you get a team.
09:57And go for it.
09:58And don't ask for permission.
09:59And don't ask for permission.
10:00And don't ask for permission.
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