If the BIG3 is really able to pull off a reality basketball tournament with players quarantined in a remote location in LA, Paul Pierce wants in.
The Truth said as much himself on a mobile version of The Jump with Rachel Nichols and Kendrick Perkins on Sunday.
“I absolutely would watch this. We are all thirsty for some kind of sports. As a matter of fact, I’m thinking about even playing in it. Seven figures? Three weeks quarantined? I’ve already been quarantined for three weeks, that’s nothing.”
His old teammate Perk wasn’t so sure it’s a good idea or concept and tried to convince Paul not to pursue it. Watch below.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>So <a href=”https://twitter.com/paulpierce34?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@PaulPierce34</a> says he may want in on <a href=”https://twitter.com/thebig3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@TheBig3</a>'s plan to quarantine 16 healthy players in a house, film them Big Brother-style, and have them compete for a seven-figure cash prize. <a href=”https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@KendrickPerkins</a> tries to talk him out of it 😂 cc: <a href=”https://twitter.com/icecube?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@IceCube</a> <a href=”https://t.co/I67Bp7SJ8b”>pic.twitter.com/I67Bp7SJ8b</a></p>— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) <a href=”https://twitter.com/Rachel__Nichols/status/1244417261890179073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
As for the subject of a return from the NBA, Perk and Paul were in agreement that it’s going to be much harder to get games going again without fans in attendance providing the energy many players feed off of.
“It’s just not the same,” Paul said. “When you play the game without fans, it’s like when I watch a summer league game with no pros, I get disinterested fast because there’s no one in the stands, you don’t feel the momentum of the crowd. It would be difficult to watch. Almost like going to watch a Venice Beach pickup game. You lose interest in it right away if there’s nobody out there paying attention to it.”
He did, however, admit, that the longer the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns and social distancing guidelines go on, the more likely the NBA will have to find some way to get back to basketball so that funds can continue to be generated for and by the league.
“If you put this together in the near future, is this going to carry over to next year? We don’t really know how long we’re going to be dealing with this pandemic here in America,” Paul said. “Is there a longterm solution for this? You have to start looking at that, especially as the virus continues to grow bigger and bigger and we get closed in even more. I think you really have to ask the question what’s in it for now and the future.”
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Would NBA players agree to all quarantine together in a place like a Las Vegas hotel & just finish out the season and playoffs there? Our guys at <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheJump?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#TheJump</a> weren't so sure – although what if it ends up being the only way to get the revenue the league needs to pay player salaries? <a href=”https://t.co/2TjjgfcaH5″>pic.twitter.com/2TjjgfcaH5</a></p>— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) <a href=”https://twitter.com/Rachel__Nichols/status/1244425393894912001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
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