The upcoming NBA season is set to introduce a brand-new In-Season Tournament. Sports journalist Rick Kamla humorously suggested that the NBA should rename the tournament the “Victor Wembanyama Invitational.”
His remark comes from his observation that the league is using the tournament to give significant national TV exposure to this year’s No. 1 draft pick, Victor Wembanyama, through the San Antonio Spurs.
“It’s something to win. It’s literally a championship. It is a trophy,” Kamla said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “It is not the championship, it’s not the gold ball. I think teams and players should be invested in this, I really do. I suspect that they will.
“We should call this The Victor Wembanyama Invitational because the NBA is using this In-Season Tournament to showcase Victor in a big way. All of San Antonio’s games are on. They’re the only team that has more than two of its four Group Play games on ESPN and TNT.”
One unique aspect of the tournament is its one-off game format, which opens the door for teams like the Spurs, who might not be considered playoff contenders, to compete for a meaningful victory.
