LAS VEGAS – The NBA on Saturday announced details for its inaugural In-Season Tournament, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr was front and center for the action, joining 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, 2022 No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, 2020 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards and Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young at Mandalay Bay to unveil what everyone will be playing for.
All 30 teams now will look to hoist the NBA Cup, along with the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Kerr is a nine-time NBA champion, winning five as a player and now four as a coach. The Warriors coach showed acceptance to the league’s new event, knowing it’s already layered in doubters.
“It’s going to add a layer of excitement and energy,” Kerr said.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
While Kerr appears to be on board, the Warriors' summer league team features someone who has a historic past playing an in-season tournament. Gui Santos helped bring Brazilian basketball club Minas its first Super 8 SKY Cup championship on Jan. 22, 2022.
Santos played four seasons in the NBB (Novo Basquete Brasil) as a member of Minas prior to the Warriors selecting him in the second round, No. 55 overall, of the 2022 NBA Draft. Every season, the top eight teams at the time play in the Copa Super 8 for a title and something more. The champion also is guaranteed a spot in the tournament next season.
The exciting Warriors prospect averaged 7.9 points over the seven-game tournament, and surpassed that number in the championship game. Santos scored 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, made both of his free throws and had four rebounds. He was only 19 years old.
News
He believes the tournament will be great for the NBA after experiencing something similar in his home country.
“I liked it a lot, because when you know it’s a championship – in a short time, you can be a champion,” Santos said Sunday after the Warriors’ loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. “It’s a different feeling.
“If you have that in the NBA, it would be good because during the season, in the middle of the season, you get to have a championship. You got to still play like it’s the playoffs to be a champion.”
Santos was named the NBB’s Sixth Man of the Year the season Minas won the league’s in-season tournament, averaging 10.1 points and 5.1 rebounds off the bench. This summer has showcased his improvements in the Warriors’ system, averaging 18.8 points through his first four games.
RELATED: How Santos has found comfort, confidence on court
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. on Monday shared his optimistic outlook on the change, too. Dunleavy actually has some pretty fond history of an in-season tournament as well, winning MVP of the Maui Invitational when Duke beat Ball State in 2001.
“I think it's exciting,” Dunleavy said. “I think the league is always getting feedback and looking around to see what we could do better as a league. I think it's something nice to add to the mix without it being too disruptive to the schedule.
"I think it's something similar to the play-in tournament. The play-in tournament probably caused some grief of, 'What are they doing?' and I think the in-season tournament could be something that's the same, where it just works.
"It creates fan engagement. I think we're all excited about it -- players, staff and fans. It should be a good thing."
