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Utah Jazz alums: Iso Joe, Big Al and other former Jazzmen go BIG3

By Ryan Aston

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 25: Joe Johnson #6 of the Utah Jazz shakes teammates hands as he walks off the court after Game Five of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the LA Clippers of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 25: Joe Johnson #6 of the Utah Jazz shakes teammates hands as he walks off the court after Game Five of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the LA Clippers of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Several former Utah Jazz players, including seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson and  “Big” Al Jefferson, will join Ice Cube’s BIG3 league this summer.

Although he only spent a little over a year and a half with the Utah jazz, Joe Johnson will always be a player whose name brings a smile to the faces of the Jazz faithful.

Like Sundiata Gaines‘ buzzer-beater against LeBron James and the Cavs or Paul Millsap‘s miracle in Miami, Iso Joe’s heroics against the LA Clippers during the 2017 NBA Playoffs represented a benchmark moment for the franchise.

In that series, Johnson gave the Jazz big buckets when they needed them most. Now, he and another former Jazzman — Big Al Jefferson — are set to get buckets in an entirely new setting.

Per announcements from the league, Johnson, Jefferson, as well as Ronnie Brewer, Carlos Arroyo and Brandon Rush, will be among the new additions to Ice Cube’s BIG3 league when it tips off its third season this summer.

The BIG3 has added several new players to their draft pool in recent weeks, with Johnson and Gilbert Arenas being the most noteworthy.  The deadline for eligible players to jump on-board is Tuesday, March 19.

In a league 3-on-3 league where beating individual match-ups and scoring the rock rules the day, Johnson’s iso game and Jefferson’s footwork in the post should equate to some big scoring nights for the duo.

BIG3 basketball features a fast-paced style where the first squad to 50 wins, a 14-second shot clock and 4-point shot zones, in addition to other unique wrinkles. Over its first two seasons, the league proved itself to be the ultimate senior circuit for former NBA stars. In year three, they’re upping the ante by adding four new teams.

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I, for one, would implore every Jazz fan to get in on the action once the blue, green and gold crew are done for the season. Few things have given this hoops fan as much joy recently as seeing a late forties Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf dominate games like it’s 1994 or Carlos Boozer scream “AND 1!” then miss the shot.

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