Report: NBA In-Season Tournament Set For December 7-9
Jul 5, 2023, 5:00 PM | Updated: 5:03 pm
NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media prior to Game One of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics at Chase Center on June 02, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament is set for December 7-9, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The NBA insider announced the news on Twitter after the tournament was approved with the latest collective bargaining agreement.
“ESPN Sources: The NBA’s new In-Season Tournament Final Four is set for December 7 and 9 in Las Vegas,” Wojnarowski tweeted. “Statistics will count for the league’s regular season, except for the championship game of the event.”
ESPN Sources: The NBA's new In-Season Tournament Final Four is set for December 7 and 9 in Las Vegas. Statistics will count for the league's regular season, except for the championship game of the event.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2023
What Is The NBA In-Season Tournament?
The In-Season Tournament will feature all 30 NBA franchises competing to earn a spot in the eight-team single-elimination tournament.
Pool play will consist of six five-team groupings separated by conference, but not based on division.
Over the first six weeks of the season, pool play will consist of teams playing the other four members of their group once each in Cup games, with the winner of each grouping, plus two wildcard teams, advancing to the eight-team single-elimination tournament.
Current framework of NBA In Season Tournament as soon as 2023-24, per sources:
– Cup games through November
– 8 teams advance to single-elimination Final in December; other 22 continue with regular season
– All games part of normal 82-game schedule; one extra for two Final teams— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 9, 2022
The final four teams will complete the tournament at a neutral site in Las Vegas, with each player on the winning team earning $500,000.
The four Cup games will be counted toward a team’s regular season record.
Teams that advance to the finals of the NBA In-Season Tournament will wind up playing 83 regular season games, while those teams already eliminated will continue to compete in traditional regular season contests.
Though new to the NBA, the G League and the WNBA have featured In-Season Tournaments in recent years.
Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
