The NBA and the players have agreed to a new seven-year collective bargaining agreement. The NBA in-season tournament is arguably the most significant part of the upcoming CBA. For years, there has been talk that the NBA would implement a tournament to make regular-season games more meaningful. Following the agreement between the league and the NBAPA, the NBA in-season tournament could make its debut for the 2023-2024 campaign.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver first mentioned the idea of an in-season tournament in 2019, comparing it to the model that is used in European soccer. There have been plenty of detractors and supporters within the league regarding a tournament in addition to the playoffs. After years of discussions and plenty of failed proposals, the in-season tournament is finally about to become a reality.
When will the tournament take place and what's at stake for the players and teams? Let's look at what there is to know about the NBA in-season tournament.
What is the NBA In-Season Tournament?
The NBA in-season tournament will feature all 30 teams and culminate with one champion. Each team will play a number of pool-play games that determine the eight teams that advance to a single-elimination tournament. The Final Four will be held at a neutral site. Las Vegas is in discussions to host Final Four, ESPN reports.
Matchups that have already been implemented as part of the regular-season schedule will count as pool-play games. Even the single-game elimination contests will count toward the regular-season schedule. The two teams that reach the in-season tournament championship game will end up playing 83 games for the season.
Because all of the games count for the regular season, there will be no break for the in-season tournament. When the eight teams move on to the single-game elimination part of the tournament, the other 22 NBA teams will continue to play regular-season games.
Every team will have 80 games on their initial regular-season schedule, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. Once the knockout round is set, the league will determine the rest of the schedule
When is the NBA In-Season Tournament?
The pool-play games for the tournament will start in November. The Final Four will take place at some point in December.
The 2023-2024 NBA regular season is scheduled to start on Oct. 24, 2023 and conclude on April 14, 2024. The in-season tournament is likely to be over within the first two months of the season.
The exact dates for the tournament games are not yet known. The tournament games are expected to take place before Christmas Day. For many casual basketball fans, Christmas Day has become the unofficial start of the NBA season. The league hopes that games played before the holiday will have more meaning for both players and fans if they are part of an in-season tournament.
What is the prize for the NBA In-Season Tournament?
Players on the in-season tournament championship team will earn $500,000 each, according to Charania. Coaches for the winning team will also be awarded prize money.
Two years ago, there were rumors that the NBA was considering giving a $1 million prize to every player on the tournament championship team. Even with the individual prize money failing to reach seven figures, a total of $7.5 million will be going to the players on the winning team.
When the idea of an in-season tournament was in its infancy, the league discussed giving the tournament-winning team an extra draft pick.
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