The 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament is upon us. The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks are competing in the East, while the Golden State Warriors take on the Memphis Grizzlies in the West. With teams like these participating, this year’s Play-In will surely be a barnburner.
But there was a time when the Play-In tournament was not viewed as the exciting prelude to the Playoffs that it is today. You see, back in 2020, the basketball was unsure about this tournament. The NBA claimed they wanted to increase competition. The players felt otherwise. So a curious question soon gripped the basketball world. Was this an increase in competition or simply the bar being lowered?
Well, the NBA held steadfast in its claims. “When we first spoke to our television partners and our teams, we were very specifically focused on those new games that we were creating and saying there will be some additional competition,” said Adam Silver. It was clear the league had one goal in mind. More entertainment.
But players like Luka Doncic and LeBron James had their reservations. So where are we at in 2025? Let’s find out today.
What does ‘play-in’ mean in a tournament?
The NBA Play-In Tournament is almost like a trailer for the NBA Playoffs. But in a more general sense, a play-in usually refers to a preliminary round before the main phase of a tournament begins. These prelims usually involve teams that would qualify for the tournament by the skin of their teeth. These teams are then pitted against each other to find out who truly deserves to be in the tournament.
Apr 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Kyle Lowry (7) and guard Tyrese Maxey (0) take the ball away from Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) during the first quarter of a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
In the NBA’s context, the Play-In Tournament sees the 7th through 10th ranked teams in each conference go at it. Two teams make it into the Playoffs as the 7th and 8th seeds in the Playoff bracket, while the rest are eliminated. But it wasn’t always like this.
The 8th seed team in the conference being 4 games ahead of the 9th seed team meant there’d be no Play-In. “What was created was essentially a best-of-two series where the No. 9 seed had to win two head-to-head matchups to get the No. 8 spot, “ says the NBA’s official website. At least that’s how things were when the Play-In began. But those were dark days in the NBA.
When did the NBA Play-In tournament start?
The first time this tournament happened was during the 2019/20 season, when we saw a drastic shift in the NBA. The league had moved to the Bubble at the Walt Disney World Sports Complex near Orlando. It was uncharted territory. But Damian Lillard and his insane run, where he scored 37.6 points a game, set a lot of minds at ease. The bar hadn’t been lowered. No, players like Dame were showing that it, and the stakes were now much higher.
The next season saw another experiment from the league. The Play-In would return to a 72-game regular season. And the ratings actually didn’t go down; in fact, they went up. The league soon realized that this was a home run for them, unlike, say, the 2025 All-Star format. So, the Board of Governors deliberated on keeping this format. And, in July 2022, they voted in favor of the same.
Even so, a lot players were against it. “Whoever came up with that s— needs to be fired,” said LeBron James. Back then, Luka Doncic and Mark Cuban argued on the Mavs’ behalf. They asserted that the tournament would only serve to invalidate the efforts of a team during the regular season. And a lot of players mirrored their stance.
But has anything changed now in 2025? Is the Play-In Tournament here to stay? Or will it fall to the wayside like many different “innovations” from the league?
Will the NBA Play-In tournament be permanent?
Well, the players may not be wholly onboard with the Play-In, but Adam Silver and the league have accomplished a lot of what they set out to do. And even things they didn’t expect. “I’m more pleased with the play-in today than I thought we would be when we were first adopting it,” said Adam Silver during the 2022 All-Star Weekend.
[US, Mexico, & Canada customers only] Jan 23, 2025; Paris, FRANCE; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks before the Paris Games 2025 NBA basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters via Imagn ImagesWell, we’re in year 5 now, and it’s probably safe to say that the NBA Play-In tournament will remain a staple of the postseason for years to come. Even as far back as 2021, the ratings were up by 25% during the Play-In. The audience IS entertained. What started as a band-aid during the pandemic had quickly turned into an exciting time in the postseason for us fans. And like we mentioned earlier, this year’s tournament is set to be an exciting one as well.
Why> Well, Steph Curry’s hopes of a fifth ring hanging in the balance. And that 25% boost we talked about. Guess who played in those games? It was the 2022 NBA championship-winning Golden State Warriors. So, we guarantee you won’t want to miss this Play-In Tournament either!
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