Dwight Howard and Montrezl Harrell talk during the second half of a Jan. 2, 2016 loss to the San ... More Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Darren Abate) Associated Press Dwight Howard and Montrezl Harrell were teammates on the 2015-16 Houston Rockets. Now, nearly a decade later, they will both make their debuts in the the BIG3, Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 basketball league, this summer. Harrell greatly respected Howard, but the two players weren’t necessarily pals on the Rockets. Harrell joined the Rockets in 2015 as a rookie second-round pick, and Trevor Ariza served as more of a mentor for him than the 30-year-old Howard who was a 12-year veteran in his last year in Houston. He kept his distance from Howard — figuratively and literally. “I tried to stay away from Dwight,” Harrell exclusively shared. “He played around with snakes. I wasn’t a fan of that.” The rookie was always worried Howard, who had a large snake habitat at his home and often played with them, was going to prank him and surprise him with one of his baby pythons. Howard won’t sneak up on anyone this summer in the BIG3. He’s the league’s most noteworthy addition. “It’s going to be nice to see him open up his game and show his all-around skills on the court in the BIG3. He’s a perfect fit for the league,” Ice Cube said in a statement. “His legacy speaks for itself.” MORE FOR YOU Google’s Android Update—Bad News For Samsung And Pixel Users ‘NYT Mini’ Clues And Answers For Thursday, April 10 Trump Approval Rating Tracker: Three Post-Tariff Surveys Show Decline The eight-time All-Star and No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft was just elected as a first-ballot member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025. But the addition of Harrell, who is currently playing in the quarterfinals of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) playoffs for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, is also significant. The 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year averaged 12.1 points and five rebounds during his eight-year NBA career. Playing in the BIG3 appealed to him because of the presence of former Rockets star/current BIG3 commissioner Clyde Drexler, the chance to compete against other high-level athletes and as a fun way to stay in shape during the summer. “I’m definitely just pumped to be in the league,” he said. Harrell, who has a lot of friends in the Windy City from his days at Louisville — which is only 300 miles away and where he won the 2013 national championship — is joining the Chicago Triplets alongside teammates, including Jason Richardson and Chris Allen. The Triplets are part of the league’s new city-based model in 2025, which features local ownership in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, the DMV of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Houston, Miami and Los Angeles. “Having owners who can unlock the fanbase in their cities,” Ice Cube said, “is just the next step in our history.” For the BIG3’s eighth season, which begins Saturday, June 14, 2025 in Chicago’s Allstate Arena, Howard will play for Los Angeles, the city in which he spent the 2012-13 and 2021-22 NBA seasons and also where he won a championship with the Lakers in 2019-20. “I’m excited to join Ice Cube and the BIG3 – especially right after being inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame,” Howard said in a statement. “Words can’t describe how grateful I am.” Follow me on Twitter. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades