NBA Cup
File:NBA in-season tournament Logo.png | |
Tournament information | |
---|---|
Sport | Basketball |
Established | 2023 |
Format | Knockout tournament |
Teams | 30 total; 15 per conference |
Most recent tournament | |
2023 NBA in-season tournament |
The NBA in-season tournament is a National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season tournament that will be first contested during the 2023–24 NBA season.
The tournament was officially announced on July 8, 2023, on ESPN's NBA Today. The tournament will have a format similar to European football tournaments and the WNBA Commissioner's Cup. Each player on the winning team will receive $500,000;[1] the winning team will receive the NBA Cup.
History
NBA officials had discussed the possibility of holding an in-season tournament for at least 15 years.[2] For decades, the NBA has been concerned about trying to compete with the National Football League for viewers and attention when both league's regular seasons coincide every November and December.[3]
On July 6, 2023, ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the NBA would hold its first in-season tournament from November 3 to December 9.[4] The details of the 2023 tournament were revealed on July 8, including the group draws, and the announcement that the semifinals and championship would take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.[5][6]
Format
The tournament will be in a similar format to in-season, multi-stage tournaments in European football. The tournament rules are as follows:[7][8]
- Each conference is divided into three groups with five teams each, for a total of six groups. The top three teams (by previous-season record) are randomly assigned to the three conference groups, then the next three are randomly assigned, and so on.
- Round Robin tournament in each group: Tuesdays and Fridays during November will feature each team playing one game against each of the other teams in its group, for a total of four games (two at home and two on the road). These games also count as regular season games.
- Four teams from each conference advance to a single-elimination tournament: the three pool winners in addition to the group runner-up with the best record as a wild card.
- The semifinals and final will be played in Las Vegas.
- For the 2023 tournament, players on the champion team will each receive $500,000; runners-up will get $200,000. The players on the two losing teams in the semifinals will each get $100,000, and the players on the four losing teams in the quarterfinals will each get $50,000.[9]
Impact on the regular season
With the exception of the championship game, all games in the tournament will also be counted as regular season games.
To adjust for the differing number of games played by different teams, the NBA's regular season scheduling formula will be modified so only 80 games for each team are initially announced prior to the beginning of the season, with the 81st and 82nd scheduled games occurring differently:[9]
- The 22 teams that do not qualify for the knockout rounds of the tournament will play two additional games, one at home and one on the road, against other teams eliminated prior to the knockout rounds. These games will occur around the time that the knockout tournament is concluding.
- The four teams that lose in the quarterfinals will play one additional game, against each other, again around the time that the knockout tournament is concluding.
References
- ^ "NBA goes bold with flashy announcement of In-Season Tournament". NBA.com. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ Reynolds, Tim (July 8, 2023). "NBA reveals long-awaited plans for in-season tournament that'll start in November". Associated Press. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
'This is a concept that has been rumbling around the league office for about 15 years,' [NBA Commissioner Adam] Silver said.
- ^ Deveney, Sean (July 9, 2023). "NBA In-Season Tournament: Doubt Adam Silver At Your Own Peril". Forbes. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Rajan, Ronce (July 7, 2023). "NBA Today Special Episode to Announce 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament on ESPN". ESPN PR. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ "NBA In-Season Tournament to debut in 2023-24 season". NBA.com. July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ Bontemps, Tim (July 8, 2023). "NBA officially unveils format, groups for new in-season tournament". ESPN. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ Quinn, Sam (April 9, 2023). "NBA in-season tournament: How the league reportedly plans to structure its new spectacle". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ Rohrbach, Ben (April 7, 2023). "NBA Fact or Fiction: Is the in-season tournament a good idea?". Yahoo!. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Bontemps, Tim (August 15, 2023). "What is the NBA in-season tournament? Format, schedule, groups". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 16, 2023.