Season 8 of the BIG3 marks a special one for the league on multiple fronts. In addition to notable talents joining the league for the 2025 season, the BIG3 took a huge leap in efforts to grow the league as a whole.
In May of 2024, the league announced that they would be selling team rights to various ownership groups and that each team would be located in a specific city moving forward. This is a significant change from the league previously owning each team.
This is an attempt to strengthen local fan engagement and establish stronger community ties like traditional pro leagues. To further the city ties, each team will host at least one home game during the upcoming season. The eight cities with teams are Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, and D.C.-Maryland-Virginia (DMV).
Rosters are set for the 2025 season and the star power in the BIG3 is as big as it’s ever been. The race for the BIG3 Championship starts on Saturday at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois on CBS and VICE TV.
*Odds via DraftKings
Favorites to Win 2025 BIG3 Championship
Â
Miami 305 (+350)
From top to bottom. Miami 305 might have the best roster in the BIG3. Every player but one was carried over from the 3s Company franchise of old, returning Mario Chalmers, Michael Beasley, Reggie Evans, and Sean Williams. All four of these players took their team to the championship game last season, unfortunately falling short of their goal.
In 2024, Chalmers was top 10 in assists and steals while continuing to be lethal from three as he’s been in the past. Evans is the best rebounder in the history of the BIG3 and Williams was tied for first in the league with nine steals last season. The icing on the cake for this quartet of players is Beasley winning the league MVP by averaging 21.3 points per game.
The talent and chemistry between these four is already through the roof heading into the season but now you add in the first overall pick in the 2025 BIG3 Draft, Lance Stephenson. His 14-year NBA career gives him the ultimate veteran status and his style of play is what will fit in so well this this team. Their 2025 BIG3 Championship hopes are very high heading into the season and with the return of head coach Michael Cooper as well, Miami 305 are the favorites to win it all.
LA Riot (+450)
In April it was announced that Dwight Howard would join the BIG3 for his final season of professional basketball. He is the biggest talent to join the league in its history. The eight-time NBA All-Star and Basketball Hall of Famer signed with the LA Riot, joining a talented roster that is head manned by Nick Young.
He teams with Jordan Crawford and Elijah Stewart, who both won the BIG3 Championship with the Enemies in 2023. These two have become one of the most lethal duos in the league, showing their ability to score and shoot beyond the arc while coming up big in clutch moments.
They also added NBA veteran Wesley Johnson, who was picked fourth overall by the Riot. If Stewart and Crawford weren’t enough, now add in a big man like Howard and a piece like Johnson and you have one of the most feared teams in the league.
Detroit Amps (+600)
While there are exciting newcomers coming into the BIG3, they have to prove that can take the “best player in the league” title away from Detroit Amps superstar Joe Johnson. He came in and earned his title, winning the MVP in his rookie year and again the next season in 2021 (2020 season was canceled). Johnson won his third MVP award in 2023, while also winning the BIG3 Championship that season. They call him “Iso Joe” for a reason.
Following him from his former team the Triplets is Jeremy Pargo, who was the go-to guy behind Johnson. Pargo became a star of his own whenever Johnson would miss time, scoring the fifth-most points per game in the league in 2024.
The team around Johnson and Pargo are perfect pieces to build around and try to compete. Darnell Jackson has heavy experience in this league with his high IQ, cementing his co-captain status with the Amps. Shakur Juiston is a gritty player who is known for this defense and rebounding while Ray Nixon is as efficient from deep as they come, leading the league in three-point percentage last season (52%). The balance of this team is what could propel them into championship discussion.
Dallas Power (+600)
Last season the talent pool entering the league had notable names as well and two of them were Greg Monroe and Paul Millsap. Now they join forces for the Dallas Power in 2025.
Millsap scored 21 points with five rebounds and three blocks in last year’s season opener before suffering an Achilles injury. These two paired with each other will be tough to stop but the Power has other options that can get the job done as well. One of them is the 2022 first overall pick and BIG3 Rookie of the Year Glen Rice Jr. He’s one of the best scorers in the league and has TJ Cline accompanying him from last year’s Power team.
Joining his brother Paul is John Millsap, who both played together last year for the Aliens. Nancy Lieberman comes back as the head coach for her fourth season. She led Power to a BIG3 Championship in her first season in 2018 while also winning Coach of the Year. The return and addition of key pieces mixed with Lieberman’s style make the Power a contender heading into the campaign.
Next Best Odds
Chicago Triplets (+600)
DMV Trilogy (+1000)
Boston Ball Hogs (+1000)
Houston Rig Hands (+1000)
Week 1 Matchups
LA Riot vs Miami 305
Detriot Amps vs Chicago Triplets
Houston Rig Hands vs DMV Trilogy
Boston Ball Hogs vs Dallas Power
