The NBA is pressing on with exploring the possibility of an in-season tournament, with the league’s Competition Committee holding significant discussions on the subject.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the league’s Competition Committee discussed the tournament idea on a call Monday. The proposed idea would include $1 million in prize money for each player on the winning team.
The NBA is discussing having an in-season tournament in future seasons, with $1 million per player in prize money, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The concept was discussed on a Competition Committee call today.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 13, 2021
The league has long floated the idea of a European-style in-season tournament to break up the regular season a bit and give every team a chance of winning some sort of trophy aside from the NBA title. The idea has gained momentum in light of the success of the league’s play-in tournament. The financial incentives are meant to compel players who might otherwise want a break to participate in the event.
This proposal will likely face some significant resistance among players, though the $1 million payday could be very appealing to some of the league’s lower-paid players. The fact that the NBA continues to push the idea suggests that it believes it can get the players onside at some point.
