The NBA and NBPA are working toward finalizing an in-season tournament concept for as soon as the 2023-24 season, The Athletic's Shams Charania reports.
Charania notes the tournament is currently framed as follows:
• Tournament games will take place through November
• Eight teams then advance to a single-elimination round in December
• All eight teams will be awarded a not-yet-determined prize
• All games will be part of the 82-game schedule, except for the two finalists who will play one additional game
There has been talk of introducing an NBA in-season tournament that mimics European soccer and brings in additional league revenue for quite some time.
In 2021, the inclusion of an in-season tournament was discussed by the NBA Competitions Committee, suggesting a $1-million reward per player. In 2019, the NBA sent a proposal to teams that included an in-season tournament in addition to reducing the 82-game season to 78 which, if accepted, would have taken effect ahead of the 2021-2022 season.
When speaking to the media in June, NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged that implementing a tournament is a priority, but said “we’re not there yet” in terms of finalizing a model.
