Ice Cube’s Big 3 league adds Charles Oakley to the mix

Ice Cube adds some muscle to his Big 3 league by adding Charles Oakley.

Ice Cube’s new Big 3 basketball league just got a whole lot tougher.

According to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, Cube rolled out a full-page ad in the New York [papers touting Charles Oakley joining the 3-on-3 league.

"“If you think he’s tough off the court, wait til’ you see him on the court.”"

That’s some savage stuff right there.

For the younger generation who may not know who in the world we’re talking about, let’s dive into some NBA history right quick.

Drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1985 and traded to the New York Knocks in 1988,  Oakley became a cornerstone of the tough Knick teams that dominated the Eastern Conference in the 1990s. His bruising style of play earned him respect on the court, but an incident earlier this year put a dent on his Knick legacy.

On Feb. 8, Oakley was ejected from Madison Square Garden after (reportedly) yelling at Madison Square Garden Executive James Dolan. Arrested by the NYPD after leaving the arena, Oakley faced three counts of misdemeanor assault and criminal trespassing.

There was a back-and-forth between Dolan and Oakley, who refuted the former’s claim that he was assaulted. After meeting with commissioner Adam Silver and Michael Jordan, the two mended fences, but it is still evident that Oakley still harbors some ill will to Dolan, particularly over how the team has performed over the past few years.

So Oakley joining Cube’s Big 3 league is somewhat big news in New York. The ad in the NYC tabloids shows a picture of Oakley apparently going toe-to-toe with Dolan, which may be meant, on Cube’s part and not Oakley’s, to send a message to the Knick’s brass.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Spurs on top? Kawhi not.

The message? Don’t mess with the legends. It will be interesting to see if Doland and the Knicks received the message.