BIG3 To Ball Out At USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

Trading tennis balls for fireballs, BIG3 is set to "Bring the Fire" to one of the world's most iconic venues and a New York institution

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BIG3

Mar 06, 2020, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, March 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the BIG3 and United States Tennis Association announced a partnership to bring FIREBALL3 to the famed USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The BIG3 will host its second weekend festival of the 2020 season in New York at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center's Louis Armstrong Stadium on Saturday, June 27. Tickets are set to go on sale on Friday, March 13. This event is presented by Adidas and Power 105.

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, underwent a five-year transformation costing $650M and the completion in 2018 introduced a new Louis Armstrong Stadium; the first ever self-ventilated stadium with a retractable roof; holding over 14,000 fans. BIG3 plans to utilize the entire National Tennis Center for a range of family friendly events. This season welcomes a variety of entertainment activities as BIG3 plans a FIREBALL3 and entertainment festival each week of the season with six straight games on Saturday, high profile musical performances throughout the event, and YOUNG3 clinics in the community all weekend.

"This season embodies what it means to continue getting bigger, better, and bolder for the BIG3. Our goal has always been to be the most undeniably innovative pro sports league in the world, and we are excited to announce this unique opportunity to bring FIREBALL3 to New Yorkers and our millions of fans globally," says BIG3 co-founder, Ice Cube. "We are 'bringing the fire' to the new Louis Armstrong Stadium and it's only fitting that the court will continue to see some of the best athletes in the world - no matter the sport."

"The USTA is excited to welcome some of the world's most talented athletes to the home of the world's biggest stage in tennis," said Danny Zausner, Chief Operating Officer, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. "For many years, Louis Armstrong Stadium has held some of the greatest match-ups and rivals in tennis, and now we get to bring fans another display of greatness and competition. We are looking forward to transforming our entire facility into an exciting and entertaining spectacle for BIG3 fans from our backyard of Queens and throughout New York City."

This announcement comes after a series of BIG3 ground-breaking enhancements that include the official creation of the new global sport: FIREBALL3, lowering the minimum age to qualify for athletes from 27 to 22 to continue to increase competitiveness; a new "Bring the Fire" rule that allows teams one challenge per half resulting in an in-game one-on-one with the victor winning the call; no longer requiring professional basketball experience and encouraging the best athletes in the world to tryout.

Additional information on the 2020 BIG3 season can be found here.

ABOUT BIG3:
BIG3 (BIG3.com) is where FIREBALL3 superstars play. The premier global BIG3 league features many of the greatest, most popular and skilled professional athletes of all time. Founded by producer, actor and music legend Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz, the BIG3 combines highly competitive, physical, fast game experiences and incredible fan experiences.

ABOUT USTA:
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 655,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA's philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jeremy Watkins (Hiltzik Strategies for BIG3)
[email protected]

Jasmine Sheppard (USTA Corporate Communications)
[email protected]

SOURCE BIG3