NBA Board of Governors Likely to Make Play-in Tournament Permanent, per Report

A new rule penalizing the “take foul” is also reportedly expected to pass.

The NBA Board of Governors is expected to approve the play-in tournament as a permanent part of the NBA season on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Until now, the tournament has been voted on a year-to-year basis since it started in 2021.

Additionally, the Board of Governors is expected to pass a new rule that penalizes the “take foul” on fast breaks, per ESPN. As punishment for the foul, the offense will be awarded with a free throw and possession of the ball. 

ESPN Sources: NBA’s Board of Governors is expected on Tuesday to approve the Play-In Tournament as a regular part of future league seasons. The Play-In had been voted on a year-to-year basis in past two seasons, but support exists to turn it into annual element of NBA structure.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 11, 2022

The play-in was first introduced two years ago in order to make the final stretch of the NBA season more interesting. It was launched to prevent several teams from tanking and to keep fans engaged longer through the end of the regular season.

In previous seasons, the top eight teams in each conference would qualify for the postseason while every other squad would go home after their 82 regular-season games. In the new format, only the top six seeds in each conference are guaranteed playoff spots.

As soon as the regular season ends, the No. 7, 8, 9 and 10 seeds compete in the play-in. The No. 7 seeds host the No. 8 seeds in a game and the No. 9 teams host the No. 10 squads. The winner of the first matchup is officially named the No. 7 seed and the loser of the second game is eliminated from postseason contention. 

The loser of the 7/8 game and the winner of the 9/10 game then face off and the winner officially becomes the No. 8 seed for the NBA Playoffs. The loser goes home. 

The format has been widely accepted by fans because of its high-stakes environment and it gives more fanbases hope that they can make the postseason. Of course, some haven’t liked the setup because it takes away a previous sense of security to the lower seeds. Either way, it appears it’s here to stay. 

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