LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The National Basketball Association is coming to Southern Nevada this week for the inaugural In-Season Tournament.
T-Mobile Arena will host the Semifinals and Championship games. According to the arena's website, the East and West semifinal games are set for Thursday, Dec. 7 with the championship on Saturday, Dec. 9.
The teams coming to Las Vegas will be determined with quarterfinals games this week. The Sacramento Kings will take on the Pelicans while the Indiana Pacers will face the Boston Celtics. Both of those games are scheduled for Monday night. The Los Angeles Lakers will play the Phoenix Suns while the Milwaukee Bucks will face the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Meantime, the NBA is releasing more information about what the championship team will take home. Teams are playing for The NBA Cup, which was designed by Tiffany & Co.
The trophy is made of sterling silver and coated in 24-karat gold vermeil and black ceramic. It weighs about 35 pounds. According to a press release, the eight prongs flow "into the channels of the cup" and are inspired by the prongs of a diamong ring. The base is a blended design of the Eastern and Western Conference Championship Trophy bases.
The trophy is also 23 inches tall to represent the inaugural year of the In-Season Tournament. There are also 30 net openings on the trophy's base to represent all 30 NBA teams.
The In-Season Tournament MVP Trophy will be given to the most valuable player. It's 15 inches tall and represents 15 teams in each NBA conference. According to a press release, it is also has two stems representing the two teams competing in the championship game.
Every player on the championship team will receive a medal, which were designed by Victor Solomon. The medals include the year of the tournament and NBA In-Season Tournament Champions on the front.
The back of the medal features a silhouette of the NBA Cup in the middle of two tournament brackets. The four balls on the face of the medal represent the four teams that will compete in the Semifinals in Las Vegas.
Five players will also be selected to the All-Tournament Team.
They will receive a solid black crystal basketball with gold channels. One of them features a bracket motif. Each trophy is about 7.5 inches tall and weighs 20 pounds.
For the fans, there will be several activations in Toshiba Plaza during the tournament.
Ticketed fans can check out a larger-than-life NBA Cup trophy, exclusive merchandise, and get to watch tournament-style basketball games between noon and 8 p.m. on Dec. 7 and Dec. 9.
Nelly and TLC are also scheduled to perform in between the two Semifinals games on Dec. 7. They will face off in a head-to-head singing battle as part of a new reality competition called "The Sum: All-Star Music Battle".
Fans can apply for a chance to sing alongside TLC or Nelly here. According to event organizers, you must be at least 18 years old to take the stage.
