Ice Cube and LL Cool J are no strangers to the television and film world. Now, instead of working in the writers’ room or acting in front of the cameras, the pair plan to become majority stakeholders of a handful of sports channels.
According to TMZ, the entertainers might begin the process of bidding on 22 sports stations that were once owned by Disney. The Justice Department ordered the billion-dollar company to relinquish its ownership of these stations, which was first made possible since it acquired 21st Century Fox. Disney already owns ESPN, which is herald as one of the top stations for full sports coverage.
The channels up for bidding include Fox Sports Southwest, Fox Sports Arizona, and the YES Network. The gain is valued between $15-$25 billion. As Ice Cube and LL Cool J throw their hats in the ring alongside Alex and Ani’s founder Carolyn Rafaelian, other bidders include the Sinclair Broadcast Group, the Blackstone Group, and more.
In 2017, Ice Cube dipped his pockets into the basketball world when he established the BIG3 league. The space allows retired pro-basketball players a chance to get back on the hardwood in three-on-three match-ups. If Cube were to score these channels, the assumption that the BIG3 will broadcast on multiple stations is something to ponder.
“We don’t want to look like we’re looking at a product. We want to look like we’re looking at a game and we’re having fun, and that’s what the BIG3 promotes,” Cube told Sports Illustrated. “And the guys have been playing great basketball. That’s what’s amazing, is at the end of the day the basketball is top-notch, fun to watch, and you can’t beat it.”
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