NBA fans don’t seem to be fans of the NBA’s new in-season tournament, and they made their feelings clear on Twitter on Sunday night. NBA commissioner Adam Silver made an appearance on NBA TV on Sunday night ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and Nuggets to discuss how the tournament will work with Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Grant Hill.
Silver explained the tournament was inspired by soccer leagues that stage in-season competitions. The NBA’s tournament will consist of regular-season games that are designated as tournament games, so no extra games will be added to the 82-game schedule. The winner of the tournament will receive a trophy, albeit not the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy.
Barkley seemed skeptical at first, and he asked Silver why players would want to compete in such a tournament. The commissioner explained that the incentive to play shouldn’t be an issue, because the games count in the regular-season standings. However, Silver added that there will be “significant prize money.”
Many fans on Twitter, however, didn’t appear to care for the idea. The new tournament is set to be introduced during the 2023–24 season.
Too many trophies. Too many theatrics. Too many hoops to jump through & superfluous stuff.
— Bryce Hayes (@nxtprodigy) June 5, 2023
Just get these guys to hoop for 82 - adding trophies isn’t going to enhance the product https://t.co/hhUPzFeg3K
Might’ve been the worst pitch ever https://t.co/5KQkVvbWHg
— 🍿 (@The_6ix_man) June 5, 2023
Why are they doing this ? Lol
— The Mighty Quinn (@Mak_Suave) June 5, 2023
Leave it to college basketball https://t.co/CPEa6wOo6r
This will be a disaster https://t.co/YUo8vWESd7
— Neneyo Mate-Kole (@nenenyo1234) June 4, 2023
It sounds like someone told Silver about the FA Cup but he did no research on what that tournament is and how it works. This just sounds silly. https://t.co/NUOrXC1WJY
— Eric (@EWRNYC1) June 5, 2023
This sounds so goofy 🤣 https://t.co/kOdPx3mD0x
— Ethan Gressley (@thetrue_ethan) June 5, 2023
