SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Ice Cube is scheduled to be in Springfield this weekend to receive an impact award at the Basketball Hall of Fame and attend the Hoophall Classic.

Rapper and actor, Ice Cube, has a rich history with basketball and has used the sport in his music and videos. Ice Cube is also the co-founder of BIG3, a 3 on 3 summer basketball league. In his honor, the Basketball Hall of Fame has created the ‘Ice Cube Impact Award’ that recognizes someone who works to improve their community and uses basketball as a tool to help kids.

The first award will be given to Ice Cube for his passion for the game, and his commitment to encouraging crucial dialogues surrounding inclusivity, equal opportunity, and racial and social justice while contributing to initiatives focused on education and community development.

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The Spalding HoopHall Classic event is being held Thursday, January 11 through Monday, January 15 at the Blake Arena at Springfield College.

Ice Cube will be in Springfield on Sunday at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the Ice Cube Impact Award exhibit. The Ice Cube Impact Award will be permanently honored inside the Hall of Fame museum and will be added to each year as new people are honored with the award.

On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Ice Cube is scheduled to attend the 1 p.m. Hoophall Classic at Springfield College. Paul VI High School from Virginia will compete against Christopher Columbus High School from Florida. During halftime, he will be presented with the Ice Cube Impact Award.

“The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Award named in my honor is truly remarkable, and words alone can’t express my gratitude for this recognition from such a prestigious organization,” said Ice Cube. “Having an award bearing my name only intensifies my commitment to advancing inclusivity and equal opportunity in sports, alongside my unwavering dedication to community activism.”

Ice Cube showed a photo of him as a kid during a Zoom conference call with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Several Basketball Hall of Fame inductees work with Ice Cube in the BIG3 league as coaches, including Lisa Leslie, Nancy Lieberman, George Gervin, Rick Barry, Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Gary Payton.