The New Orleans Pelicans Player development coach Corey Brewer is spending his summer trying to win a basketball championship. The former NBA player plays in the BIG3 league and his Bivouac team is competing in the league championship game this weekend.
Brewer was recently announced as the league’s defensive player of the yearBIG3 leader in steals and blocks this season. He saved his best game for last week’s semifinals in his home state of Tennessee. Bivouac beat Tri-State 50-40, led by Brewer’s 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. His team went 7-1 during the regular season and headed to the playoffs as the No. 1 seed.
Brewer joined the BIG3 league in 2022.
A native of Portland, Tennessee, Brewer was back on his old turf, just 40 miles from his hometown. A former McDonald’s All-American, he led his Portland high school team to its only state tournament appearance in 2003. Brewer then went on to the University of Florida, where he helped the Gators win back-to-back national championships.
The versatile forward spent 13 seasons in the NBA and won an NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks. He is now just one win away from winning a BIG3 title. The BIG3 is a league founded by Ice Cube in 2017 and has enjoyed moderate success over the years. In 2024, the league consists of 12 teams, with a Miami team to be added next season.
Awards are given for individual achievements, such as MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, and the league holds an All-Star Game. Last year was the first time a current NBA player participated in the game, when the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown played in the All-Star Game. This year, the BIG3 weekend is in Boston at TD Garden.
Brewer will then return to New Orleans to prepare for the upcoming season. The team will then hold training camp in his home state of Tennessee. He has been with the Pelicans organization since 2020, helping develop the young talent on the roster. His work with Zion Williamson, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III has been important to their development.
Now, a new generation of players, Jordan Hawkins, Yves Missi and Antonio Reeves, will look to Brewer for advice and guidance as new NBA players. Brewer is a proven winner at every level of basketball, and he hopes to add another notch to his belt with a BIG3 championship this weekend.
