If you’re anything like us, you have absolutely no interest in the NBA Finals. Though we’re not watching that Celtics/Mavericks series, the WNBA has been especially fun this season, and beyond that, a different professional basketball league is about to begin its season.
Of course, we’re talking about the BIG3. Entering its seventh season, Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 league brings former NBA staples, multi-time All-Stars, WNBA mainstays, collegiate standouts, and some Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Famers to the court for eight weeks (plus playoffs!) of summertime hoops action. The season kicks off Saturday, June 15 (with games broadcast on CBS and Paramount+) and, yes, there will be plenty of former Bucks players taking part as both players and coaches. If you want see some familiar faces on the court this summer, here’s a guide to finding former Bucks players in BIG3 basketball.
3 Headed Monsters
Jeff Teague
Jeff Teague had a memorable 12-year NBA career that ended with him being part of the World Champion Milwaukee Bucks in time for the playoff run in 2020-2021. Following a post-NBA turn as a scout for the Atlanta Hawks (where he spent most of his career) and as coach for his high school team, Teague is returning to the court to serve as the captain of the 3 Headed Monsters.
Greg Monroe
Greg “Moose” Monroe is entering his first season in the BIG3. That debut in the 3-on-3 league comes after a long NBA career that spanned close to 650 games. Of those, 170 were in a Bucks uniform. The center signed a three-year, $50 million deal with Milwaukee before the 2015-16 season and showed some definite flashes, but eventually fell out of favor with then-Bucks coach Jason Kidd prior to being traded to Phoenix in early 2017 as part of a deal that brought Eric Bledsoe to Milwaukee. Moose bounced around the Association after that, never matching the numbers he put up with the Bucks. Before his NBA days were through, Monroe returned to Milwaukee for a total of five games in the 2021-22 season.
3’s Company
Michael Beasley
Former No. 2 overall pick Michael Beasley bounced around the league (including three stints with the Miami Heat) before winding up in Milwaukee and reviving his career as a role player on the 2016-17 Bucks. Following 56 games—during which he posted a career high three-point percentage—”Supercool Beas” signed with the Knicks, where he played 74 games for an abysmal New York squad during the 2017-18 season before finishing his NBA career with Lakers the season after that. Now, after a couple seasons playing internationally and two years of BIG3 under his belt, Beasley returns to serve as a Co-Captain of 3’s Company.
Ball Hogs
Larry Sanders
Former Bucks player (and guy we once saw at a Colectivo) Larry Sanders has found new life in the BIG3. After bouncing around the league with stints on a few different teams, Sanders is now a member of the Ball Hogs.
Jodie Meeks
Journeyman shooting guard Jodie Meeks enjoyed a long NBA run, which spanned more than 500 games and found him winning a ring as a member of the Raptors. That accomplished pro career actually started in Milwaukee when the Bucks took the Kentucky Wildcats guard in the second round of the 2009-10 NBA Draft. His stay in Milwaukee lasted just 41 games before he was traded to the Sixers. Meeks is a Co-Captain on the Ball Hogs now.
Bivouac
Gary Payton
We hate to remind you that former SupersSonics great and current Bivouac coach Gary Payton was briefly a Bucks player, but it’s true. When Milwaukee mortgaged its future and ushered in some pretty dark days by trading Ray Allen, the franchise got a total of 28 disgruntled regular season games from a 34-year-old Payton.
Enemies
Elijah Stewart
Beyond guys with NBA roots, BIG3 also has its fair share of players with extensive G-League and international league experience. Stewart falls firmly into the second camp, having played professionally in Finland, Poland, and in nearby Oshkosh. During the Wisconsin Herd’s 2019 season, Stewart spent approximately six weeks with the Bucks’ G-League affiliate in Oshvegas. Today, he’s a Co-Captain on the Enemies squad.
Ghost Ballers
Darnell Jackson
Former Jayhawks power forward Darnell Jackson played a total of 138 games spread between four NBA season between 2008 and 2011. Exactly one of those games was as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. During that single appearance, Jackson played nine minutes and made one shot for a total of two points. Now he’s a Ghost Baller.
Trilogy
Stephen Jackson
This early press conference suggests otherwise, but Stephen Jackson was not happy during the majority of his brief and tumultuous Bucks tenure. After a contentious partial season with Milwaukee in 2011-12, Jackson wound up with the Spurs before finishing his playing days with the Clippers. Jackson now coaches Trilogy.
Tri State
Julius Erving
With the 12th pick in the 1972 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks selected Julius Erving. “Dr. J” would’ve joined a stacked young franchise that also had Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but Erving opted to illegally sign with the Atlanta Hawks instead. An injunction stopped Erving from joining the team’s roster, and he went to play in the ABA. When the ABA folded in 1976, Erving signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, where the Bucks draftee would finish out his incomparable career. Super cool, right? Not really! Anyway, he coaches the Tri-State team now or whatever.
Other Players With A Local Connection
Ray Nixon
When Tri-State parted ways with Garlon Green a couple weeks into the 2022 season, Milwaukee native and Badgers alumnus Ray Nixon stepped in. He’s retained his spot on the team in 2023.
Mike Taylor
Ghost Ballers player Mike Taylor also hails from right here in Milwaukee, where he attended John Marshall High School.