The NBA’s In-Season Tournament Surpassed Expectations
Photo by Juan Ocampo
On July 8th, 2023, the NBA officially announced the first ever In-Season Tournament, bringing mixed views to the table. Many didn’t think that the establishment of the In-Season Tournament would successfully address its objective in making the regular season more entertaining and competitive. Though, they could not have been more wrong.
Allow me to present you with some stats. Nationally televised games on TNT and ESPN saw a 26% increase in viewership from games played at the same time last year. Additionally, the league had their best first month ever across social media, rallying 3.9 billion views. Fans have never felt more involved with the game this early in the season and the tournament’s appealing courts and playoff atmosphere has even begun to attract new eyes to the sport.
The NBA could not have asked for a better result of the tournament. The biggest name in the sport on the most popular team being crowned champions during its inauguration. Furthermore, the tournament created many moments that will forever be remembered in NBA history. From Anthony Davis’ dominant championship game, to Halliburton's historical hot streak, to Draymond Green choking out Rudy Gobert.
During the tournament, LeBron James was asked about what changes he would make to the event, “I haven't thought about if I would have any changes, but I mean…seems like it's going really well…Adam Silver is a genius, so it's that simple. So it's gonna work.” Players around the league showing their love and support for the tournament also brings more attention and encourages more people to tune in. Especially if their name is LeBron James.
In a recent interview, Adam Silver addressed topics surrounding the debut of the In-Season Tournament. Silver acknowledged the imperfection of the product and listed areas that they will be looking to make tweaks with next season.
Potential change to the stylish courts - encourage more creativity and different designs
Lessen the chatter amongst players about the prize money
Fix “running up the score” late in games while keeping the point differential rule
Raising the stakes
Overall, the In-Season Tournament was great and is here to stay. The players are on board with it and you should be too.
