The first-ever NBA in-season tournament will debut next season, and we finally have the details, from dates to format and prize money.
After years of speculation, a soccer-style in-season tournament is coming to the NBA for the 2023-24 season, the league announced Saturday at NBA Con in Las Vegas.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was on-hand to make the announcement live on ESPN alongside Victor Wembanyama, Paolo Banchero, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, and Trae Young. All 30 teams will compete for the NBA Cup in November and December, with the semifinals and finals taking place Dec. 7 and 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
NBA In-Season Tournament Dates
Between Nov. 3 and 28, all 30 teams will play four tournament group stage games on designated tournament nights. Each team will play two games at home and two on the road, counting toward the regular season standings. Those games will take place every Tuesday and Friday in November, with the exception being Election Day on Nov. 7. Only tournament games will be played on those days.
Teams have been divided into six groups of five, which we’ll get to shortly. Those six group winners and two wild cards will advance to the quarterfinals, played in home arenas on Dec. 4 and 5. Quarterfinal winners will then head to Las Vegas, with each match again counting toward the regular season standings, except for the title game. The 22 teams left out of quarterfinal play will have games on Dec. 6 and 8 based on the overall group stage standings.
14 group stage matches, two on each tournament night, will air nationally, as will all seven knockout stage matches. The NBA will release its full schedule in August.
Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.
Group Selection
The 15 teams in each conference were divided into three groups of five, picked out from five pots based on the order of last year’s regular season standings.
Eastern Conference
Pot One: Milwaukee, Boston, Philadelphia
Pot Two: Cleveland, New York, Brooklyn
Pot Three: Atlanta, Miami, Toronto
Pot Four: Chicago, Indiana, Washington
Pot Five: Orlando, Charlotte, Detroit
Western Conference
Pot One: Denver, Memphis, Sacramento
Pot Two: Phoenix, L.A. Clippers, Golden State
Pot Three: L.A. Lakers, Minnesota, New Orleans
Pot Four: Oklahoma City, Dallas, Utah
Pot Five: Portland, Houston, San Antonio
Here’s how the draw shook out:
East Group A: Philadelphia, Cleveland, Atlanta, Indiana, Detroit
East Group B: Milwaukee, New York, Miami, Washington, Charlotte
East Group C: Boston, Brooklyn, Toronto, Chicago, Orlando
West Group A: Memphis, Phoenix, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah, Portland
West Group B: Denver, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston
West Group C: Sacramento, Golden State, Minnesota, Oklahoma City, San Antonio
Tiebreakers
If two or more teams are tied in each group after the four group stage games, here are the tiebreakers for both group winners and wild card teams:
- Head-to-head record
- Point differential
- Total points scored
- 2022-23 regular season record
- If teams are still tied after that, the tie will be broken by a random drawing.
The Prize Pool
There’s going to be an In-Season Tournament prize pool that players from the eight teams that reach the knockout stage will split. The totals increase based on how far those teams advance. At the end of the tournament, the league will name an MVP and an all-tournament team.
Buckle up, because November NBA hoops will never be the same again.
More NBA:
How Devin Booker Created a Future Classic With the Nike Book 1
From lifelong sneaker collector to refined tastemaker, the evolution of Devin Booker can be simply seen in his first signature sneaker. …
The ETCs: Chet Holmgren is Ready for the League
Chet Holmgren will get his first pro minutes this NBA season. First, he sat down with Eddie Gonzalez to discuss playing pickup with KD, his favorite sneakers, and more. Chet Holmgren got his NBA…
