That’s a wrap on season six of the BIG3. For the first time in franchise history, the Enemies won the BIG3 Championship after defeating the Triplets 50-43 to take home gold. They went from missing the playoffs in 2022 to winning it all in 2023. The Triplets made this a game, going on a 14-4 run at one point to take a 41-40 lead late in the game but the Enemies stuck to their defensive identity and only allowed two points after that while going on a 10-2 run themselves to end it. Overall, this was a great game and there were a few notable performances to reflect that in the BIG3 Championship.
Top Performances in the 2023 BIG3 Championship
Jordan Crawford
BIG3 Championship Stats: 23 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
In his second season with the Enemies, Jordan Crawford exceeded expectations and then some. He led the league in total points for the regular season with 154. Along with his scoring ability comes a deadly shot, placing second in total field goals and first in total three-pointers, shooting over 50 percent from deep.
Crawford was huge down the stretch for the Enemies, scoring 25 points in the last regular season game to secure a spot in the playoffs. He came back the next week and put up one of the best Semifinal performances in league history by putting up 27 points. Now when it mattered the most, he shined in the BIG3 Championship by leading all players with 23 points while of course hitting three from behind the arc. This will go down as one of the best individual runs in league history.
Elijah Stewart
BIG3 Championship Stats: 19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
As big as Crawford was, Elijah Stewart was just as important in capturing the championship. He was right behind his teammate as he scored 19 points and grabbed five rebounds with a block. Crawford isn’t the only one on the team that’s able to hit from deep, as Stewart was top ten in the league with 14 total three-pointers. He carried that into the BIG3 Championship game as he also hit three from deep. With one of the best shooting duos in the league, I don’t think this will be the last time we hear of Crawford and Stewart lighting it up in a big game.
Joe Johnson
BIG3 Championship Stats: 18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists
Even in the loss, Joe Johnson showed exactly who he is. He led the Triplets with 18 points and almost put up yet another double-double as he had nine boards to go along with three assists. The 2021 MVP put himself in discussion for his second individual trophy as he was second in total points with 152, second in total rebounds with 70, fifth in total assists (22) and three-pointers (16), and first in total field goals with 66. The moral of the story, Iso Joe is still the best player in the BIG3. Sadly, the season didn’t end with a ring but he had a great season and playoff outing.
Jeremy Pargo
BIG3 Championship Stats: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
While tallying 13 points isn’t bad, Jeremy Pargo would be the first to tell you that he could’ve done more to help his team in the biggest game of the year. He led the team with nine points at the half but only put up five in the second half. Pargo did have one of the best highlights in the game though as he hit a four-pointer to tie the game up early. In the regular season, he hit six four-pointers, tying the record for the most in a season. He put up a great performance last week but just couldn’t duplicate it this week. Nevertheless, Pargo had a breakout season and solidified himself as the perfect fit for the Triplets.
