Season nine of the BIG3, titled "The 9th Wonder in the Summer," returns to Little Caesars Arena on Thursday, July 23 at 8 p.m.

With a condensed schedule of 13 different dates running throughout the summer, there is no safety net of 82 games to make up ground in pursuit of the championship trophy -- which only figures to add to the excitement level at each location.

The eight teams heading into the 2026 campaign are the Boston Ball Hogs, Chicago Triplets, Dallas Power, Detroit Amps, DMV Trilogy, Houston Rig Hands, LA Riot and Miami 305. Legends in the BIG3 include players such as Dwight Howard and three-time league MVP Joe Johnson, with coaches including Gary Payton, Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Nancy Lieberman, George Gervin, Stephen Jackson, Nick Young and Michael Cooper.

The three-on-three league, co-founded by Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz in 2017, encourages trash talk and features four-point shots, and is coming off its biggest year yet of viewership numbers and social media engagement as it prepares to jump into season nine.

Official Site: big3.com | Tickets: big3.com/tickets