Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 basketball league was built for the live experience. That’s part of the BIG3’s rationale for airing pre-taped broadcasts on Fox Sports 1 instead of live TV.

One of the BIG3’s foremost stars, former NBA All-Star Rashard Lewis, wants to make sure that live experience is for the children. He explains in a Huffington Post guest column:

That’s where the BIG3 comes in. I never went to an NBA game until… well, until I was already in the NBA. We couldn’t afford it. So wouldn’t it be awesome if kids had the chance to go to BIG3 games this summer… for free? It would be their first experience watching professional basketball in person! When I was playing in Seattle and Orlando, I did a lot of work with the Ronald McDonald House. I’ve always had a special thing for kids, and I know how important it is for kids to have good role models. They push us to that next level. So I want to do something special, not only for kids but for the role models who are guiding them. For every paying adult that is taking a child (13 or younger) to a BIG3 game this summer, I’ll pay for the child’s ticket.

It’s not clear if Lewis is imposing any restrictions: number of kids per adult, quality of seat, etc. Execution isn’t entirely clear, either. But that’s not what matters in the grand scheme. Lewis made $155 million on NBA salary alone, and now he’s giving back. This is a very cool thing to do.

The BIG3 has an eight-week regular season and two-week playoffs. That means stops in Brooklyn, Charlotte, Tulsa, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, Lexington (Ky.), Los Angeles, Seattle, and Las Vegas. Lewis’ 3 Headed Monsters are No. 2 in our preseason rankings of the eight teams in the league.

And if you’ve got a kid and you’re in one of those cities, your free ticket is waiting.