What started off as an experiment last season has grown into a success, and the BIG3 is ready to roll for its second season. The 3-on-3 professional basketball league founded by Ice Cube features former NBA players traveling from city to city, playing games that feature four-point shots and plenty of trash talk.

The league was a hit last summer, and they've made plenty of improvements for season two. Here are nine ways the BIG3 will be better in 2018.

1. More big-name players

Seeing how much fans enjoyed watching former NBA players last season, the league has opened up a new co-captain roster spot for each team, allowing new players to join existing teams. As a result, we'll see even more familiar faces on the court, including Metta World Peace, Baron Davis, Amar'e Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer and Nate Robinson, just to name a few.

2. Games will air live

Ice Cube admits that last season's tape-delayed broadcasts took away from the legitimacy of the league, but that won't be an issue this year. Every game will air live on FOX, FS1 and/or Facebook (complete schedule here) to allow fans to see the action unfold in real time. It's part of the ongoing effort from the BIG3 leadership to market the league as a real sport, not just a novelty.

3. A major end-of-game tweak

Everybody loves game-winning jumpers -- game-winning free throws, not so much. Ice Cube said he didn't want to mess with the rules too much, but they will implement one significant change: When a team reaches "point game," meaning one more basket will win the game for them, the opposing team will be granted a foul to give. This, Ice Cube believes, will lead to more games being won during live play instead of at the free throw line.

4. Going international

Not only will the games be broadcast in four dozen countries, but the BIG3 has also crossed the border for one of its venues this season. On July 27, all four games will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, marking the league's first game outside of U.S. soil.

"What we've learned this offseason is that the demand for us internationally is growing," BIG3 Chairman of the Board Amy Trask said on a preseason conference call. "Last year, there was a bandwidth issue in terms of all workload and how many countries we could bring on board for broadcast rights. We got to 32 beyond the U.S. and this year we hope to do even more. Certainly, the demand for BIG3 is international."

5. Lieberman making history

The BIG3 and Nancy Lieberman made history in March, when Lieberman was named the head coach of Power. According to the BIG3, she's the first female head coach in a professional men's sports league. A women's basketball legend, Lieberman currently serves as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings, and this summer she'll coach a team that features Corey Maggette, Cuttino Mobley, Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Chris "Birdman" Andersen.

6. They've got a sponsor

Adidas has come on board this season as a BIG3 sponsor, which Ice Cube thinks will add legitimacy to their game. At the very least, they'll get some sweet uniforms.

7. Clyde the Glide at the helm

Hall of Famer, NBA champion and Houston hero Clyde Drexler took over as commissioner for season two after serving as the head coach of Power last year. No offense to former commissioner Roger Mason Jr., but Drexler adds some name recognition to the position and to the league.

8. Bigger is better

In terms of the actual game play, the BIG3 is a copycat league, just like the NBA. In order to compete with last season's undefeated champion Trilogy, teams have loaded up to emulate their style. While NBA teams are getting smaller and more positionless, the BIG3 has seen the benefits of a dominant post scorer like Trilogy's Al Harrington, who can command a double team. As a result, teams went heavy on big men in April's BIG3 Draft, and attempted to surround them with shooters.

"Everyone tried to get bigger and so they thought that was the key to mimicking Trilogy's success," Drexler said. "Every team, with no exception, has got tremendous post players and tried to get better 3-point shooters, and we'll see how that plays out throughout the season."

9. Community outreach

The BIG3 won't just play basketball this season -- the goal is to make an impact in the communities and grow the game. That's why they've partnered with Adidas to start the YOUNG3, a 3-on-3 youth basketball initiative. From the BIG3:

"Throughout the season Young3 will host 3-on-3 tournaments and skills clinics for children ages 7-14 in all 10 BIG3 city stops on Thursdays, ahead of the league's Friday night primetime games. In each city, they will also invest time and money into improving the infrastructure of community courts so players are able to have the ultimate 3-on-3 experience. This new community outreach program will work to engage young audiences in the growing popularity of 3-on-3 basketball, which was added as an official event at the 2020 Olympic Games."