Roger Mason Jr. did not go quietly into the night after being fired as commissioner of the Big3 basketball league for alleged corruption. The former NBA player and high-ranking official with that league’s union claimed Monday that a “hostile and racist” environment existed at the three-on-three basketball league, which debuted last year as the brainchild of actor/rapper Ice Cube.
In a statement provided to The Washington Post, Mason said that he was fired in retaliation for accusing the Big3, and in particular co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz, of breaching his employment agreement. Mason added that “a former employee of BIG3″ recently told him that Kwatinetz, an entertainment industry executive, “has repeatedly referred to black athletes as ‘rich (expletive).