• Loading stock data...
Friday, October 24, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here

NBA’s Two Tourneys Drive Record Attendance

  • The league’s total attendance was 22,538,518 during the regular season.
  • November and March each saw their highest number of fans ever.
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

There are two big reasons why the NBA is heading into the playoffs with yet another attendance record to gloat about: The debut of the In-Season Tournament and the evolution of the Play-In Tournament, which is entering its fifth year.

Total attendance for the 2023–24 season, which ended Sunday, was 22,538,518. That’s about 300,000 more than last season, which had already broken the season-long mark set in ’17–18. The months of November and March had record turnouts, the former largely buoyed by group-play IST games. “Usually, you see a very strong start of the schedule and then maybe you’ll see a little bit of a lull in the November and December months, before picking back up going into the finish,” Jonathan Tillman, the NBA’s executive vice president of team marketing and business operations, tells Front Office Sports.

As the season concluded, tight sprints to the finish in both conferences saw 19 of the league’s 20 playoff seeds still up for grabs as late as last week. “There’s a lot of movement there and that just creates more interest in those games across the board,” Tillman says.

Is Bigger Better?

If the scheduling tweaks have been so successful already, the NBA should surely be considering some form of expansion for those tournaments, right? Maybe. “We’re very happy with the changes that have been made over the last couple of years,” Tillman says. “And at this point, it’s a matter of just monitoring those successes, further evaluating, and then deciding from there what tweaks in the margin could be made for next season.”

Whatever the case may be, don’t expect the NBA to remain stagnant. After the first season of play-in games, in 2020, the league quickly doubled the number of participating teams. And after just one rendition of the in-season tournament, the event has already been rebranded as the Emirates NBA Cup. The format for next season’s NBA Cup hasn’t been released yet, so there remains potential for changes in Year 2.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

MLB Union Chief on Alert As NBA Gambling Scandal Unfolds

The union leader addresses labor and gambling-related concerns.
Terry Rozier

Terry Rozier Will Be Paid Full NBA Salary While on Leave

The Heat are scheduled to pay Rozier $26.6 million for this season. 
Terry Rozier

NBA Strongly Denies Quietly Suspending Terry Rozier in 2023

Brian Windhorst appeared to walk back his comments Friday morning.

Featured Today

Christie's

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
October 18, 2025

How Vanderbilt Went From SEC Doormat to Dark Horse CFP Candidate

After beating LSU, Clark Lea said: “Internally, we expect to win.”
May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) shoots a three point basket over New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the third quarter of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
October 18, 2025

NBA Stars Swap Wine With League Friends and Foes

A wine-exchange tradition emerged from the bubble season’s close quarters.

Underdog Blue Jays vs. Dodgers’ Mega-Payroll on MLB’s Global Stage

The high-profile matchup caps what has been a breakthrough season for the league.
October 23, 2025

Gambling Issues Dogged Adam Silver’s NBA Before Latest Scandal

Silver vocally backed legalized sports betting in 2014.
Jun 18, 2022; Washington, DC, USA; Grammy award-winning artist Pharrell Williams performs at the Sun Stage during the Something in the Water festival on Saturday, June 18, 2022 in Washington, DC.
October 23, 2025

MLB Will Try to Turn the World Series Into More Than Just..

The league has planned a series of showcase music performances in Toronto.
Sponsored

How HOKA is Reimagining the NIL Relationship

Fans can now follow their favorite golfers and experience every marquee moment at the Ryder Cup — thanks to innovation from T-Mobile.
October 23, 2025

Raptors, Leafs Shift Games to Make Way for Blue Jays’ World Series..

The Maple Leafs and Raptors adjust game times during the World Series.
October 23, 2025

As the NFL, NBA, and NHL Go Global, The Masters Is Looking..

The tournament’s chairman touted new qualification measures.
Adam Silver
October 22, 2025

Adam Silver Kicks Off Another Cycle of WNBA Labor Tension

The CBA expires next week.
Tony Parker
October 22, 2025

NBA Wants to Launch European League in ‘Next Two Years’

The league is eyeing 10–12 cities for its European venture.