When Did "Bigs" Become a Noun?

The regular reader will know that I watch a fair amount of sports on TV, and listen to some on the radio.

A few years ago, not that many years ago, I started hearing sports announcers talking about "Bigs."  I heard it first in basketball, and it made sense: you have "big" or tall players, and you go "big" or tall with a lineup sometimes. 

As time has gone by, I have heard "bigs" used in other sports.  Not necessarily referring to large players, but to athletes with large reputations.

And, I have heard "bigs" used to refer to famous entertainments stars. So, the "big" refers to the size of their star power.