nba in-season tournament

LeBron James Wins 1st-Ever In-Season Tournament MVP As Lakers Beat Pacers In Championship Game

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LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the championship game of the NBA’s new In-Season Tournament at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. With the win, the team became the first-ever winners of the tournament, while James took home its first Most Valuable Player award.

In the game, James recorded 24 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists across 35 minutes of play. He hit 10 of his 21 field goal attempts. Reflecting on the tournament after the win, James explained to ESPN’s Malika Andrews that it was important for him to give the winning experience to the younger guys on the team, as well as help them earn the $500,000 victory bonuses. He also took the time to praise Anthony Davis, who finished with 41 points and 20 rebounds.

Read More: LeBron James Shows Love To Gunna On Instagram: “Back At It!”

LeBron James & The Lakers Celebrate NBA In-Season Tournament Win

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 09: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers hoist the trophy with his teammates after winning the championship game of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament at T-Mobile Arena on December 09, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Winning the award certainly adds to James’ legacy. The four-time MVP will turn 39 on December 30 as he continues his 21st year in the league. Of the tournament MVP win specifically, James added: “I don’t think it’s even about the MVP, it’s about us coming together to win this thing. This is the [inaugural] in-season tournament. … Records will be broken, but one thing that will never be broken is to be the first to do something. And we’re the first champions of the in-season tournament, and nobody can ever top that, and it’s great to do it with a historical franchise and just a great cast of funny, engaged, competitive men over here.”

The Lakers Lift In-Season Tournament Trophy

Looking forward to the NBA playoffs, the Lakers currently sit at 14-9 while in 5th place in the Western Conference standings. Be on the lookout for further updates on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on HotNewHipHop as the NBA regular season continues.

Read More: Stephen A. Smith Rips Zion Williamson: “He’s Fat”

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Stephen A. Smith Rips Zion Williamson: “He’s Fat”

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Stephen A. Smith slammed Zion Williamson during a rant on the latest episode of his eponymous show in response to the 23-year-old’s performance in the semifinal game of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament on Thursday night. During the New Orleans Pelicans’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Williamson finished with just 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.

“Zion Williamson, who is more than five years younger, but 40 pounds heavier, went to the free throw line,” Smith said. “Ladies and gentlemen, I saw a belly. A belly. Like, when he took a deep breath, his belly bounced. That kind of belly. I mean, damn. Damn. What’s up, Zion?”

Read More: Stephen A. Smith Reacts To Zion Williamson’s Recent Comments

Zion Williamson During The NBA In-Season Tournament

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 07: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans drives against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half of the West semifinal game of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Lakers defeated the Pelicans 133-89. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Smith continued: “It’s bad enough you got your ass kicked, losing by 44 points in the semifinals. Did nothing to lead and galvanize your team. Did nothing to show the man-child that you are and to take over. But you look like you showed up to the game having just ate a buffet. Not something from the buffet, I said the buffet. Like you ate the damn table. I wasn’t going to touch on this, because I was embarrassed for him. But then Sports Illustrated wrote about it, and the New Orleans Times-Picayune, local newspaper, wrote about it. So it’s public information. He’s fat.” Check out Smith’s full critique of Williamson below.

Stephen A. Smith Labels Zion Williamson “Fat”

Following the Pelicans’ loss, the Lakers will take on the Indiana Pacers in the championship game. Be on the lookout for further updates on Zion Williamson as well as the NBA In-Season Tournament on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: JJ Redick On Zion Williamson: “He’s Still Not In Shape”

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SOURCE SPORTS: NBA In-Season Tournament Reaches Exciting Knockout Rounds

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NBA In-Season Tournament Reaches Exciting Knockout Rounds

In a thrilling culmination of group-stage battles, the NBA In-Season Tournament narrowed down its contenders from 16 to the final eight teams, marking a crucial step towards crowning the inaugural champion. The Knockout Rounds, featuring intense single-elimination clashes, are set to commence on December 4 and 5, with matchups airing on TNT.

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The remaining teams vying for the coveted NBA Cup include the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Lakers. The highly anticipated semifinals are scheduled for December 7 in Las Vegas, where the winners from each conference quarterfinal will clash for a shot at the championship.

The pinnacle of this exciting tournament will be reached on December 9 in Las Vegas, where the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament champion will be crowned. With the stage now set for intense battles and high-stakes encounters, basketball enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the unfolding drama as these elite teams vie for glory and the honor of being the inaugural tournament victors.

The matchups are available below.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: NBA In-Season Tournament Reaches Exciting Knockout Rounds first appeared on The Source.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: NBA In-Season Tournament Reaches Exciting Knockout Rounds appeared first on The Source.

LL Cool J Teams Up With The Roots For NBA In-Season Tournament Theme

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The new NBA In-Season Tournament is getting a theme song courtesy of LL Cool J and The Roots. The song is a combination of Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” and The Roots’ “Here I Come” and will play during the special broadcasts for the tournament that will run through this month and next month. “I’ve been a fan of the NBA ever since I can remember, and it’s a real honor to have my record serving as the anthem for this monumental moment. I’m excited to see the energy of the song translate to the play on the court during the NBA In-Season Tournament,” Cool J said in a statement.

Meanwhile, it has also been revealed that head coaches will receive bonuses based on their performance in the tournament. According to ESPN, the winning coach will receive $500,000, the same as their players. The runner-up coach will get $250,000, semifinalists will get $100,000 and quarterfinalists will get $50,000. The tournament begins this weekend, with the Knicks facing the Bucks and the Mavericks taking on the Nuggets.

Read More: Adam Silver Promotes SKIMS After NBA & WNBA Deal

Victor Wembanyama Continues To Grow In NBA

Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama scored a career-high 38 points in the fifth game of his rookie season as the Spurs improved to 3-2 at the expense of the Suns. It was the second time this week that San Antonio has gotten the better of Phoenix. 10 of Wembanyama’s points came in the final 4:15 of the game, outscoring the entire Suns roster over that same period. Furthermore, the game marked Wembanyama’s second NBA double-double as he also notched 10 rebounds in the 132-121 win. Additionally, the French rookie knew exactly what to say when asked if he felt he was a clutch player. “It’s a requirement if we’re being ambitious,” he told reporters.

However, Wemby also showed some astute insight as he mulled the win. “Every game is different. We got our third win. Every game we try to find the spots that we need to hurt them. Today, it might have been in this way. Tomorrow, it will be someone else. That is how great teams work. If we want to be great, we need to play with everyone,” he explained. His performance comes in as the third-best performance by a rookie in history. David Robinson holds the top two spots, with 40 and 39-point performances in his 1990 rookie season.

Read More: Joel Embiid Claps Back After James Harden Claims Sixers “Kept Him On A Leash”

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LL Cool J And The Roots Teamed Up To Create An Anthem For The Inaugural In-Season Tournament

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The NBA is going all-out for the newest addition to its calendar. For years, it’s been reported that Adam Silver wanted the league to adopt some sort of additional competition that took place during the regular season, and earlier this year, the announcement came that the NBA would institute the inaugural In-Season Tournament during the 2023-24 campaign.

We’ve seen some of the ways that the league wants to hype up the event already. There will be dedicated nights of the week over the next month — Tuesdays (minus Election Day) and Fridays — that will serve as tournament nights. There will be special courts and jerseys for those games, and there’s a terrific ad for the whole thing that seems ripped from the Oceans series. Once the four semifinalists are determined, those teams will head to Las Vegas for the semifinals and final.

And on Friday morning, the league unveiled the latest way it’s looking to add a little bit of excitement to the festivities. LL Cool J and The Roots teamed up to combine the song “Mama Said Knock You Out” with the melody of “Here I Come” to create the official anthem for the event.

“I’ve been a fan of the NBA ever since I can remember, and it’s a real honor to have my record serving as the anthem for this monumental moment,” LL Cool J said in a statement. “I’m excited to see the energy of the song translate to the play on the court during the NBA In-Season Tournament.”

The first slate of In-Season Tournament games begins on Friday, Nov. 3.

Charles Barkley Grills Adam Silver About In-Season Tournament

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Charles Barkley can be a bit of an old-school guy as it pertains to the NBA. Overall, he believes that his era was the best, and there is very little you can do to change that. Although he does like some of the players that play today, he can still be a bit of a curmudgeon. Ultimately, this extends to some of the newer things that the NBA has been proposing over the years. For instance, next season, the league is going to have an in-season tournament. This is brand-new, and it will see the NBA going in a more European soccer direction.

Although this could be a whole lot of fun, some are confused as to how it will work. Charles Barkley is one of those people who isn’t so sure that this is a great idea. However, Barkley got to speak to Adam Silver about it directly last night. Essentially, Silver explained that some regular season games will count as part of the tournament. Every team is eligible, and based on the performances of each team in these tournament games, there will be seeding for the knockout stages. Subsequently, the team that wins will receive $500K per player.

Read More: Charles Barkley Trolls Skip Bayless

Charles Barkley Is Not Convinced

Despite this explanation, Barkley was still quite skeptical about it all. “Well, ok, so, we already got the load management issue, ok?” Barkley said. “Why would I risk — if I’m one of the teams who’s trying to win the Larry O’Brien trophy — what’s in it for me to play in that tournament? We’re already having a hard time getting these guys to play.” Overall, Chuck makes a very good point. Half of the players in the league are already sitting out games for no good reason. This tournament could embolden player to not try or just sit out altogether. That said, Silver believes players will want to compete, especially with the cash prize.

Silver has brought some good ideas to the table as commissioner. For instance, the play-in tournament has proven to be a huge hit with a lot of people. Hopefully, this new tournament works and stays around for a while. Let us know what you think of this idea, in the comments section below.

Read More: Charles Barkley Expresses Frustration Over LeBron Rumors

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Update On NBA In-Season Tournament

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The NBA will be adding an In-Season Tournament to the schedule next year. The addition will be the first time the league has done something of this magnitude. Many fans are skeptical about what adding something like this will do to the league. However, the league is moving forward with plans for the tournament and adding incentives. On Monday, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted the latest details on the league’s newest adventure.

Here is the latest update on the in-season tournament from Woj’s official Twitter account. “@BobbyMarks42: 2023-2024 NBA In-Season Tournament schedule is expected to include quarters, semis and finals in early December. Prize money: $500K per player on winning team, $200K per player on runner-up; $100K per on semifinal loser; $50K per quarter loser.” The league is hoping these incentives will grab the attention of the players who will be involved. However, making the tournament mean something will take a lot more work than just incentives for the athletes.

NBA Making In-Season Tournament Worth Investment

Rest has long been an issue with the league and its athletes. A in-season tournament seems to go against giving the players the rest period they are looking for. However, making it worth their while could change the minds of those that will be potentially involved. There are still so many questions about how this tournament will proceed. First off, who will receive an invite to the tournament? Is there more than money going to the winner of the tournament?

These questions will surely be answered the closer we get to next season. But it seems the league will need to work on clarifying what the in-season tournament means to all involved. However, this topic is far from the minds of everyone involved in the game. The league is currently in the midst of the playoffs. The most important time of the year for those still in the hunt. However, what are your thoughts on the NBA adding an in-season tournament? Will players want to be involved? Let us know your thoughts on the tournament in the comment section. For the latest NBA news, keep it right here at HNHH.