Getting to Work in an Inaugural Season; Wayne State to Host all-new BIG3 Detroit Amps Training Camp

DETROIT, May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Detroit Amplifiers are excited to announce a partnership with Wayne State University to host its final week of training camp, June 9-12. Amps head coach and Hall of Famer George Gervin says, "Our players deserve to experience first-class facilities, and Wayne State offers our team elite amenities with everything they need, from the court to the weight room to the recovery room."

"The city of Detroit has always been synonymous with basketball. It remains an integral part of the fabric of the city," says Keith J. Stone, chairman and co-founder of GameAbove Sports, the Detroit Amps ownership group. "It's a big reason we've brought the BIG3 to the Motor City and our players will feel that at Wayne State." Stone adds, "The BIG3 has the most talented 3-on-3 athletes in the world and partnering with Wayne State presents a special platform for our athletes."

Wayne State Athletic Director, Erika Wallace is equally enthused, "We are thrilled to host the Detroit Amps at Wayne State. We take great pride in our world-class facilities, and we are excited to help them get ready for their inaugural BIG3 season."

The Amps will kick off BIG3's eighth season on June 14 in Chicago and host their inaugural game at Little Caesars Arena on July 20.

The Amps Season: Looking Ahead

The Amps roster is highlighted by co-captain and seven-time NBA all-star Joe Johnson, who spent 18 years in the NBA and played in almost 13-hundred career games.

"Joe made an immediate impact on the BIG3 in 2019, shattering the league's scoring record and he's been a three-time MVP (2019, 2021, 2023). Detroit basketball fans are going to love watching him play. He's old school," says Gervin.

The Amps are captained by Jeremy Pargo, who shattered the BIG3 four-point record last season. Former Kansas national champion Darnell Jackson is the team's other co-captain. Ray Nixon, who led the league in three-point shooting last year, was the Amps first-round pick, and second-round choice Shakur Juiston rounded out the roster.

The Detroit Amps are among the eight all-new BIG3 franchises in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, DMV, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami. BIG3 Founder Ice Cube says, "These cities have shown up for us year after year and we are honored to represent and reward those fans with a new franchise of their own. The basketball energy in these cities is unmatched, and we've seen first-hand the power of their fanbases."

Across the first seven highly successful seasons, the BIG3 operated under a touring model where all teams were centrally owned by the league, featuring an incredible roster of players and coaches, including world champions, Hall of Famers, Olympic stars, and breakout rookies.

The league is now starting fresh with eight teams, and each will feature a new roster with player and coach pairings never seen in the BIG3 before. Each team will also receive a home game in the summer of 2025. The full BIG3 schedule is available HERE.

Tickets are on sale now at big3.com/tickets.

About the Detroit Amplifiers
The Detroit Amplifiers are Detroit's official franchise in the BIG3's new city-based era. Owned by GameAbove Sports, a global investor in thoughtfully chosen sports teams and academies, serving as a strategic partner focused on promoting the future of sports excellence.

About BIG3
On January 11, 2017, the BIG3 was born. The first-ever professional FIREBALL3 league is the brainchild of producer, actor, and music legend Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz, who shared a vision of a player-centric league focused on entertainment and innovation. The BIG3 is a league with no garbage minutes, where trash talk is allowed, defense is emphasized, fast-paced action, and where every point –whether it's a 4-point or 3-point shot – counts. Any given BIG3 team has hall of famers, icons and trailblazers, and the next best 3-on-3 player.

The league has led the sports industry in diversity and opportunity, becoming the first professional sports league to implement a mental health policy, favor CBD as a pain management alternative to opioids, enlist female coaches of men, and appoint a black Commissioner in Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler, who is also professional sports first former player serving as Commissioner.  The inaugural CEO was the legendary, incomparable Raider executive Amy Trask. This January 2024, BIG3 co-founder Ice Cube was honored at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, where he received the inaugural Ice Cube Impact Award, acknowledging individuals making substantial contributions to their community, the first non-player to be recognized. Founders Ice Cube and Jeffrey Kwatinetz are missioned to better society as BIG3 pursues business success while also helping to break down stereotypes, promote diversity in sports, create opportunities for black, brown, and female athletes beyond the court, and support the black, youth and basketball communities overall.

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SOURCE Detroit Amplifiers