The Riot are back. New season. Same mission. Bring a championship to Los Angeles.

LA Riot made one of the more talked-about moves of the BIG3 Draft in Las Vegas, selecting Billy Preston with the No. 7 pick in Round 1 before adding Chris Allen with the No. 2 pick in Round 2 as the team continues building around Dwight Howard, Jordan Crawford, and newly added veteran big man Kosta Koufos heading into Season 9.As Jordan Crawford put it following the draft, LA Riot “went youthful” this year — adding athleticism, versatility, and younger energy to complement the team’s veteran core. Compared to several teams across the league that leaned heavily into established BIG3 veterans, LA Riot’s draft strategy stood out for balancing experience with upside and speed.

In a full-circle moment, LA Riot star Dwight Howard returned to Orlando—where he first became an NBA superstar—and delivered a dominant performance at the 2025 BIG3 All-Star Game. Howard led his team to victory with 23 points and 12 rebounds, earning All-Star Game MVP honors in front of a hometown crowd. The achievement marked one of the standout moments of LA Riot's inaugural season and further cemented Dwight's impact both on and off the court.

The Riot finished the regular season 4-4, earning the fourth seed in the playoffs on the strength of a better point differential than Boston and Detroit. In the semifinal, the Chicago Triplets edged the LA Riot 50-38, with Jordan Crawford scoring a game-high 16 points to keep the Riot competitive through the first half. Their debut season ended one game short of the championship — but the foundation had been laid. 

The Riot-friendly crowd spilled from its seats into the walkways surrounding the court as Jordan Crawford drained a walk-off three-pointer to seal a 52-48 victory in the team's one and only home game of the season. For LA fans who had waited years for professional basketball in Inglewood, it was the moment they had been waiting for. 

Howard put up back-to-back 18-point, 15-rebound performances late in the season, becoming the first BIG3 player with 18+ points, 17+ rebounds and 3+ blocks in a single game since at least 2018. Superman hadn't lost a step.

Crawford was the Riot's go-to scorer all season, highlighted by an impressive 28-point performance in Week 2. For the third consecutive year Crawford led his team in points in a playoff game. The Boogeyman showed up every single week. 

The season opener against Miami 305 was marked by a brawl between Dwight Howard and Miami's Lance Stephenson, with both players ejected. The Riot lost the game but made every highlight reel in the country. Nobody forgot the LA Riot's name after that night.

The BIG3 announced that legendary NBA veteran Dwight Howard had signed with the LA Riot to play his final season of professional basketball with the league. "I'm excited to join Ice Cube and the BIG3 — especially right after being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame," Howard said. "I can't wait to join the LA Riot and try to bring another championship to the city of LA." 

Ice Cube appeared in Inglewood to officially launch the team at the Crenshaw Imperial Plaza, attended by city council members and the Mayor of Inglewood. It was a community moment as much as a sports announcement — the Riot planting their flag in South LA. 

The Riot name was announced on March 26, 2025, the same day Nick Young was announced as the team's first head coach. "They chose the name LA Riot because it represents the resilience, passion, and unbreakable spirit of Los Angeles. This city is built on energy, culture, and a drive to challenge the status quo — just like the BIG3."

The LA Riot was first announced on May 10, 2024, when the first BIG3 expansion team was purchased to begin play in Los Angeles for the 2025 season as the league switched to a city-based model.