The NBA is looking at a potential schedule change for the 2023-24 season.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Friday that the NBA has come up with a “framework” for an In-Season Tournament, a competition that has been rumored for years.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed those rumors with the media at All-Star Weekend in Cleveland last February, .
“I think we were moving closer to it,” Silver said before noting that the change would not happen for the 2022-23 season. “I feel we’ve had productive conversations with the Players Association, whose approval, of course, would be required to change the format. And my sense is there’s a fair amount of interest.”
Seven months later, it appears the In-Season Tournament is a real possibility. How would it work, and what would be the reward? Here’s everything we know so far:
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NBA In-Season Tournament, explained
How would the NBA’s In-Season Tournament work?
According to Charnia, the NBA would play “Cup games” throughout November.
The eight teams with the best records in those games would advance to a single-elimination tournament in December. The other 22 teams would continue their regular seasons.
All In-Season Tournament game would count as part of the 82-game schedule. The the two teams that reach the final will end up playing play one extra game during the regular season (83 total).
What is the prize for the winners of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament?
In The Athletic’s report, Charania wrote that “the NBA and NBPA are still working to finalize the In-Season Tournament concept, which includes to-be-determined prizes for the eight teams that advance to the single-elimination round.”
How does this compare to the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup?
It appears that the idea is very similar, yet not identical, to the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, which has been integrated into the league’s schedule the past two seasons.
In the Commissioner’s Cup, each WNBA team plays 10 “Cup” games which count toward the standings for the In-Season Tournament. The games also count toward each team’s overall record — just as they would in the NBA’s reported In-Season Tournament.
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Where the two formats appear to differ is that, in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, the teams with the best record in each conference face off in a single-elimination championship game.
The NBA’s proposed In-Season Tournament would have an eight-team, single-elimination tournament to decide a winner.
For reference, the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup has a prize pool of $500,000. An additional $165,000 goes to charitable and civic organizations.