BIG3 names PepsiCo sports executive Adam Harter president of business operations

BIG3, the professional 3-on-3 basketball league, announced the appointment of Adam Harter as President of Business Operations of BIG3 Basketball, LLC. The appointment, reported on Nov. 12, 2026, positions Harter to lead the league’s business function, a role that typically includes coordinating commercial strategy, managing partnerships, and overseeing operational execution across league initiatives.

The news comes as BIG3 continues to operate in a niche within the basketball ecosystem, competing for attention, sponsors, and media distribution in a sports landscape dominated by larger-format leagues. For leagues like BIG3, business operations are often central to maintaining sponsor relationships, structuring events and broadcasts, and ensuring the day-to-day systems behind games and promotional activities run smoothly.

Harter is described in the report as a veteran sports executive at PepsiCo. While the Nov. 12 posting does not lay out specific details of his prior PepsiCo responsibilities in the text provided here, it frames him as an executive with direct experience in sports-related business work, implying a background in brand and partnership strategy tied to athletic programming and consumer engagement.

In his new capacity at BIG3, Harter’s title indicates a focus on “business operations” rather than team performance or coaching. In practice, that distinction matters for a league, because even when the product is on-court competition, the league’s growth depends on off-court fundamentals such as sponsorship sales, commercial partnerships, event logistics, and revenue pacing across seasons.

The announcement also underscores the increasingly common approach of hiring commercial leaders from major consumer brands to strengthen partnerships and monetization. For a league, an executive coming from a large packaged-goods company’s sports or marketing organization can bring familiarity with the rhythms of brand campaigns, partnership contracting, and measurement practices tied to consumer outcomes.

Despite the appointment, the report did not provide additional specifics in the material available here, including when the appointment takes effect, whether it replaces a named predecessor, or what operating priorities BIG3 has set for the role. It also does not describe Harter’s previous job title at PepsiCo, tenure, or the scope of his prior responsibilities beyond being identified as a sports executive.

It remains unclear, based on the available text, what immediate initiatives BIG3 plans to accelerate under Harter’s leadership, such as media rights negotiations, sponsor renewals, or changes to league programming. Those details typically emerge in later interviews, company statements, or corporate filings tied to major sponsorship or distribution agreements.

As BIG3 moves into the next stretch of its season calendar, investors and observers will likely watch for indicators that the business operations function is being scaled, including announcements around new sponsors, media partners, and commercial programming. For now, the appointment itself is the clearest announcement: BIG3 is placing senior commercial leadership at the center of its league operations.