Big3 Basketball — the pickup league co-founded by rapper Ice Cube — accused cable giant Charter Communications of playing dirty tricks in an auction of Disney’s regional sports networks.

Big3 claimed Thursday that Charter, 25 percent owned by Liberty Media, is trying “to pollute the bidding process” by “preemptively threatening” to drop the so-called RSN channels from its cable networks, which include Spectrum in New York City.

In a Thursday response, Charter stopped short of denying the hardball tactics.

“Charter currently has an agreement to carry these networks and welcomes the opportunity to discuss a future carriage agreement for these networks with whoever ultimately owns them including Big3,” Charter said.

The explosive allegations come as Disney faces a mid-June deadline to sell the 22 RSNs that were previously owned by Fox in order to clear antitrust concerns raised by its $71.3 billion merger with Fox.

Last month, the Yankees teamed up with Amazon and Sinclair to buy the YES Network for $3.5 billion. In addition to Charter and Big3, Major League Baseball and Sinclair Broadcasting Group are said to be circling the remaining 21 RSNs. Binding bids are due Monday.

On Wednesday, Big3 wrote to both the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission, maintaining that the cable company had “disseminated its threat to drop the RSNs to other members of the industry, thereby suppressing auction prices, chilling bidding and ultimately hurting Disney’s ability to secure the best price for the RSNs.”

“Regardless of who owns the programming, we approach all negotiations with the same singular objective of reaching carriage agreements that best meet the needs of our customers,” Charter said in its Thursday response.

In a fiery statement that carried racial overtones, Big3 on Thursday likewise accused Charter of conspiring with its largest shareholder, John Malone’s Liberty Media — the owner of the Atlanta Braves — to block Big3 as “a diverse and inclusive competitor.”

In a phone interview with The Post, Big3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz blasted Charter’s record on diversity, citing a suit by Byron Allen that alleges the cable company refused to carry his minority-owned lifestyle channels for racial reasons.

“New voices are needed,” Kwatinetz said. “Things can’t be done in the same ol’ way.”

Charter, which maintains it did not discriminate against Allen, petitioned the Supreme Court last month to review its appeal of the suit.

Big3 is the 3-on-3 professional basketball league founded two years ago.

Reps for Disney didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.