Big3 holds combine, draft in Las Vegas as league looks toward ninth season

The most notable ex-NBA superstar currently in the league is Dwight Howard, who announced his surprise return to the LA Riot this week after previously announcing his retirement from professional basketball this past winter. Howard instantly brought fireworks to The Big 3 last summer when he got into a fistfight with Lance Stephenson during his first game, giving the league arguably its most viral moment of all-time. While Howard will likely have a few more viral moments this season, the most important part of the league in his eyes is the opportunities that Ice Cub has afforded both former NBA players as well as up-and-comers in different hoop scenes.

Dwight Howard takes a photo with Big3 combine participant following the Big3 combine on Thursday May 7, 2026 at Las Vegas Basketball Center in Las Vegas.

Kalin Sipes - The Sporting Tribune

Dwight Howard takes a photo with Big3 combine participant following the Big3 combine on Thursday May 7, 2026 at Las Vegas Basketball Center in Las Vegas.

“It’s amazing being part of this league, with Ice Cube,” Howard said. “The opportunities that he’s given to a lot of young men and players who’ve finished their careers in the NBA is amazing. This is just an amazing opportunity and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Different paths to the league

As co-captain of the Riot, Howard was on hand at the combine to personally scout and give his input on who his team should select for the upcoming season. While he certainly could have made the call to one of his more established ex-NBA buddies, Howard took a shot on former 5-star HS recruit Billy Preston with the ninth overall pick after Preston stood head and shoulders above the rest at Thursday’s combine with his red-hot shooting stroke and explosive finishing at the rim.

The most notable up-and-comer in the Big 3 today is 1 v. 1 streetball sensation Nasir Core, who became an impact player with the runner-up Chicago Triplets last season after he was selected 10th overall following a prolific performance during the 2025 combine. In the year since Core first made his way into the league, he’s become the undisputed king of the streetball space and has even gotten the attention of NBA current stars after his callout of Austin Rivers and his demolition of Gerald Green at a 1 v. 1 event in Houston.

Core, who averaged 4.9 points per game at Florida A&M in his lone collegiate season, has been the lightning rod of the conversation surrounding whether or not the online hoops scene is legit or a gimmick. There’s certainly a bit of a fraternity battle brewing between the streetball hoopers and the NBA hoopers online, so it adds an entirely new level of intrigue to the league this season to see how that growing tension manifests itself in the form of 3 v. 3.