• Loading stock data...
Thursday, June 19, 2025

NBA Working ‘Now’ to Make Changes to In-Season Tournament

  • The league is looking to move quickly in its preparation for the event’s second iteration.
  • NBA’s Joe Dumars laments his former team’s extended losing streak.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Even after a successful debut, changes are coming quickly to the NBA’s In-Season Tournament. 

Following on league commissioner Adam Silver’s comments that elements of the event would be “tweaked” for future seasons, NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars said on Monday that a process is actively underway to review the tournament, solicit feedback, determine needed changes, and implement them. Dumars didn’t set a specific timetable on the initiative, but he said an urgency exists to make changes sooner rather than later.

“We really don’t want to drag it out too far,” Dumars said. “So this is happening now.”

Among the potential changes:

  • A shift of the semifinal games to home markets. The final, however, appears poised to return to Las Vegas. “I want to say Vegas, but I’m not sure. All of that is up for discussion. We just had a conversation Friday about this. So I think Vegas, but I don’t want to commit to that right now,” Dumars said.
  • A new process for constructing the much-discussed IST courts. Given Silver’s strong preference for the eye-catching designs, their return in some fashion is likely. But Dumars said that more lead time will be available to design, build, and install the courts, in turn helping mitigate the floor-quality issues that particularly impacted initial IST games.

Any changes made will require strong support from players. “Once you saw the atmosphere of what [the tournament] was like, you realize, ‘Yeah, this has hit with the players.’ As I said to Adam the other day, we can come up with all these ideas, but if the players don’t buy into it, they’re just ideas,” Dumars said.

Feelings for Detroit

While Dumars oversees all of basketball operations for the NBA, he acknowledged that the ongoing struggles of the Detroit Pistons have been “tough to watch” since he spent his entire Hall of Fame playing career with them. The Pistons have lost 24 consecutive games, just four short of the NBA’s longest streak ever, a slide that also has cut into team attendance.

“I would feel for any team that’s going through it, any of the other 29 teams,” Dumars said. “It’s the Pistons — I feel for the organization, for the fans there … And so it’s tough to watch the guys go through that. And I’m close with a lot of people there.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Fire Rekindled? WNBA’s Portland Expansion Team Eyes Original Name

WNBA trademarks hint at Portland Fire revival as league expands and honors history.

Omaha Delivers Again: LSU, Coastal Carolina Set for CWS Showdown

LSU and Coastal Carolina begin their three-game series Saturday.
Mark Walter

Mark Walter Just Bought the Lakers At a $10B Valuation. Who Is..

Walter’s Lakers buy is easily the biggest franchise sale ever.
Jun 16, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) is introduced before the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers in game five of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center.

NBA Taking Cues from NBA Twitter in Restoring Finals Pageantry

The NBA and ESPN/ABC made several changes on the fly.

Featured Today

Dec 5, 2024; Miami, FL, USA; FIFA president Gianni Infantino presents the FIFA Club World Cup trophy during the Club Word Cup draw at Telemundo Studios.

Revamped Club World Cup Is FIFA’s Billion-Dollar Gamble

The revamped soccer event debuts amid controversy.
Jun 10, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino stands during the anthem against the Switzerland during the first at Geodis Park
June 14, 2025

Gold Cup Is Complicated for USMNT—but U.S. Soccer Has Its Eyes on..

Uncertain tournament success isn’t fazing forward-looking U.S. soccer.
Jan 24, 2017; Davidson, NC, USA; The Davidson Wildcats student section cheers during the first half against the Duquesne Dukes at McKillop Court at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson defeated Duquesne 74-60.
June 6, 2025

Every College Wants a Flashy Basketball GM Hire Right Now

The role is more important than ever, and the definition is ever-evolving.
August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
June 6, 2025

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.
Club World Cup
June 18, 2025

Club World Cup Attendance Plummets for Weekday Games: 3,700 in Orlando, ‘Almost..

Chelsea’s manager bemoaned an “almost empty” stadium in Atlanta.
June 18, 2025

Dana White’s Next Frontier: Making Jiu-Jitsu Mainstream

The TKO Group Holdings–owned competition expands once again.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Ted Leonsis unpacks basketball’s global rise, media rights, and portfolio ownership.
June 18, 2025

Premier League Embraces NFL-Style Flex Scheduling for 2025–26

The league warns of additional games “moving at relatively short notice.”
Sophie Cunningham
June 18, 2025

Fever and Sun Hit With Tiny Fines After Wild Melee

WNBA coaches have long complained about a lack of transparency in fines.
Lydia Ko
June 17, 2025

PGA Championship Ties U.S. Open for Richest Purse in Women’s Golf

This week’s tournament will offer $12 million in prize money.
June 17, 2025

Rolapp Weighs In on PGA Tour–LIV Golf Talks, NFL After Goodell

Brian Rolapp is becoming CEO as commissioner Jay Monahan steps down.