The NBA’s in-season tournament could start as soon as next year as the details of it are starting to be decided upon.
The league, The Athletic is reporting, is considering having the tournament in November with eight teams advancing to a single-elimination round in December while everyone else returns to regular season action. The tournament games would be part of the 82-game schedule.
The NBA and the NBPA have yet to agree on the final format. The Athletic reported that prizes for the eight teams that advance to the final round are likely.
The tournament was initially discussed on a Competition Committee call in September of 2021. Commissioner Adam Silver has said that the success of the play-in round of the playoffs suggested an in-season tournament made sense to explore.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver AP“In some ways, the players have been more receptive to the possibility of an in-season tournament, because the Play-In has been a bit more successful,” Silver said in February.
