The NBA announced the full details of the in-season tournament that plans to launch in the 2023-24 season. The launch event was held on Saturday in Las Vegas.
The tournament was added to the league’s calendar after the new CBA was recently agreed upon by owners and players. All 30 teams will participate as they were divided into six groups of five teams. Every team will play four group games against the other four members throughout Tuesdays and Thursdays in November. The group games will count as regular-season games as well.
The six group winners and two wildcard teams will advance to the knockout round and play a single-elimination eight-team tournament. The final four of the tournament will be played in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 and Dec. 9. The winner will receive $500,000 for each player on the roster.
Only 80 regular season games will be scheduled for all 30 NBA teams. The remaining 22 teams who do not advance to the knockout rounds will have two additional regular season games added to equal 82. The two championship-round teams will end the regular season with 83 games.
The groups were revealed on Saturday. The Oklahoma City Thunder will be in the West Group C — which also consists of the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves.
