Ayrton Oneill
The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is an annual open-invitation, single-elimination tournament played during the summer in the United States. The tournament, founded in 2014, features a mix of current and former NBA and WNBA players, as well as alumni teams from colleges and universities. The winning team receives a cash prize, which was $1 million in 2024. Over the years, several teams have emerged as champions, with Overseas Elite claiming the title four times consecutively from 2015 to 2018. Other winners include Notre Dame Fighting Alumni, Team Always Us, Boeheim's Army, and Blue Collar U. TBT uses a modified version of NCAA men's basketball rules, with variations in game length, foul limits, and bonus free-throw rules.
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What You'll Learn
- TBT is an open-invitation, single-elimination tournament with a cash prize
- The tournament has a modified set of rules based on NCAA men's basketball rules
- TBT has featured current and former NBA and WNBA players
- The tournament has been held in several locations, including Wichita and Syracuse
- The inaugural TBT championship in 2014 was won by Notre Dame Fighting Alumni
TBT is an open-invitation, single-elimination tournament with a cash prize
The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is an annual, open-invitation, single-elimination tournament played during the summer in the United States. The tournament was founded in 2014 by real estate developer and TV producer Jonathan Mugar, and it has since become a highly anticipated event for basketball fans and players alike.
TBT offers a unique opportunity for teams to compete on a national stage and has attracted current and former NBA and WNBA players, such as Hakim Warrick, Jason Williams, Nikki Teasley, and Greg Oden. The tournament is known for its exciting format, with a recent edition featuring a "33-Point Contest" where players competed to make 11 three-point field goals as quickly as possible, with a $33,333.33 prize.
As an open-invitation tournament, TBT welcomes a diverse range of teams to participate. In recent years, the tournament has featured a 64-team field, with the number of teams varying in previous years from as many as 97 teams to as few as 24. The teams are arranged by the general manager, sometimes based on the college basketball program the players competed for, allowing for reunions of professional players under their former college or university names.
The stakes of the tournament are high, as teams compete for a substantial cash prize. In recent years, the winning team has taken home a $1 million prize, with the 2016 tournament offering an even more substantial $2 million prize. The winning team of the inaugural TBT championship in 2014, Notre Dame Fighting Alumni, donated their $40,000 prize to Coaches vs. Cancer, showcasing the impact of TBT beyond the basketball court.
TBT has continued to evolve and grow since its inception, with the 2025 tournament marking its 12th year. The tournament has gained popularity, now airing on Fox and its sister network Fox Sports 1 (FS1) in the United States. With its combination of competitive gameplay, cash prizes, and alumni team rivalries, TBT has become a staple of the summer basketball season.
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The tournament has a modified set of rules based on NCAA men's basketball rules
The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is an annual, open-invitation, single-elimination tournament played in the summer across various regions in the United States. The tournament features a cash prize for the winners, with the most recent tournament in 2024 awarding $1 million to the winning team.
TBT uses a modified set of rules based on NCAA men's basketball rules. The following were some of the most significant exceptions as of the 2019 edition:
- Games are played in 9-minute quarters instead of 20-minute halves (or the 10-minute quarters of the NCAA women's game).
- Players foul out upon their 6th personal foul (instead of the 5th).
- Bonus free throws follow NCAA women's and FIBA rules, with two free throws on the 5th and subsequent non-shooting fouls by the defence in a quarter. However, starting with the 2020 tournament, any foul during the Elam Ending that would result in bonus free throws will instead give the non-fouling team one free throw and possession of the ball. This change aims to reduce the number of games ending on free throws.
- FIBA rules on basket interference are followed, except on free throws. Once the ball hits the rim on a field goal attempt, any player from either team can play the ball, regardless of its movement direction or position.
- Replay review is governed by NCAA rules, with a modification: any review allowed only in the last two minutes of a game under NCAA rules is permitted in TBT only if either team is within three points of the Elam Ending target score.
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TBT has featured current and former NBA and WNBA players
The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is an annual open-invitation, single-elimination tournament played during the summer in the United States. The tournament features a cash prize for the winners, with the most recent tournament in 2024 awarding $1 million to the winning team.
Since its founding in 2014, TBT has featured several current and former NBA and WNBA players. The 2014 tournament included former WNBA player Nikki Teasley. In 2016, NBA players John Wall, Kristaps Porzingis, Rudy Gay, Shaun Livingston, Chandler Parsons, and Austin Rivers served as boosters for different teams. The following year, Carmelo Anthony, who played high school basketball in Baltimore, acted as host for the tournament in the city.
TBT 2018 witnessed the return of Greg Oden to the basketball court, marking his first appearance since the 2015-16 season in the Chinese Basketball Association. The 2019 tournament was expected to be the first to feature an active female professional player. Megan Gustafson, who had been cut by the Dallas Wings before the 2019 WNBA season, was set to play for Iowa United. However, due to injuries on the Wings' roster, Gustafson was re-signed and unable to participate in TBT. That year also saw increased NBA involvement, with Chris Paul and DeMarcus Cousins entering teams, while Bobby Portis and Andre Drummond coached TBT sides.
Other notable current and former NBA players who have participated in TBT include Hakim Warrick, Jason Williams, Dahntay Jones, Mike Bibby, Royal Ivey, Matt Bonner, Jimmer Fredette, and Brian Scalabrine. Many teams in the tournament feature professional players reunited under a former college or university name.
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The tournament has been held in several locations, including Wichita and Syracuse
The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is an annual, open-invitation, single-elimination tournament played in the summer across several locations in the United States. The tournament was founded in 2014 by real estate developer and TV producer Jonathan Mugar.
TBT has been held in several locations across the country, including Wichita and Syracuse. In 2023, TBT returned to Wichita, with the Wichita State alumni team, the AfterShocks, competing as the featured team in the eight-team Wichita Regional. The AfterShocks will return to the Wichita Regional in 2025, marking the sixth year that Wichita has served as a host site for TBT.
Syracuse is another city that has hosted TBT on multiple occasions. In 2022, Boeheim's Army, the Syracuse University alumni team, won the $1 million prize in a thrilling finish, defeating their opponent 69-67. Syracuse will once again serve as one of the regional locations for TBT in 2025, with Boeheim's Army returning as the featured team in the eight-team Syracuse Regional.
In addition to Wichita and Syracuse, TBT has been held in other locations across the United States. The tournament has featured regional competitions in cities such as Kansas City, Louisville, and Baltimore. The host sites for TBT vary each year, with the tournament aiming to showcase exciting regions and venues across the country.
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The inaugural TBT championship in 2014 was won by Notre Dame Fighting Alumni
The inaugural edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT) took place in 2014, marking the beginning of an annual open-invitation, single-elimination basketball tournament hosted in the United States. The 2014 tournament, featuring a $500,000 prize, was won by the Notre Dame Fighting Alumni, represented by several former Fighting Irish players, including MVP Tyrone Nash. In a closely contested final, they defeated Team Barstool by a score of 72-68, donating their $40,000 winnings to Coaches vs. Cancer.
The 2014 TBT was a 5-on-5, single-elimination tournament that began on June 6 and concluded on June 28. The championship game, hosted in Boston at Case Gym on the campus of Boston University, was broadcast on ESPN3. The tournament featured 32 teams, with 24 teams selected based on the size of their fan groups and the remaining eight chosen at-large by TBT organizers.
The Notre Dame Fighting Alumni's victory in the inaugural TBT championship showcased the competitive spirit and talent within the tournament's early years. It set a precedent for future tournaments, with the event growing and evolving in subsequent years. TBT has since become a highly anticipated annual tradition, attracting current and former NBA and WNBA players, such as Hakim Warrick, Jason Williams, and Nikki Teasley, who participated in the 2014 edition.
The tournament's format and structure have also evolved since 2014, with the number of teams varying from 24 in 2020 to a peak of 97 in 2015. The prize money has increased as well, doubling to $1 million in 2015 and reaching $2 million from 2016 through 2019. TBT continues to be a platform for players to showcase their skills, with alumni teams from various universities competing and the introduction of regional host advantages in recent years. As TBT enters its 12th year in 2025, it remains a dynamic and exciting event, with plans to expand to additional host sites and regions across the country.
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Frequently asked questions
The Notre Dame Fighting Alumni won the inaugural TBT championship in 2014, defeating Team Barstool 72-68.
Overseas Elite has won the most TBT championships, winning four consecutive finals from 2015 to 2018.
TBT stands for The Basketball Tournament. It is an open-invitation, single-elimination tournament played each summer in the United States, with a cash prize for the winners.
