Philadelphia to host 2023 The Basketball Tournament championship

TBT, the annual winner-take-all summer basketball tournament, returns to Philadelphia this year for its semifinals and championship at Drexel University in August.

Drexel University
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice

Basketball may be done for the spring in Philadelphia, but the city will heat up with hoops later this summer. This morning, The Basketball Tournament (TBT) announced that the semifinals and championship for the now annual TBT will be held in Philly on Aug. 2 and 3, respectively. 

The games will be held at Drexel University's Daskalakis Athletic Center in University City. 

Every tourney, TBT pits a 64-team field against one another for a winner-take-all prize of $1 million in the championship round. 2022's TBT field included 70 players with NBA experience, a record for the tournament, notably Philadelphia natives Marcus and Markieff Morris, who will be coaching this year for Mass Street, TBT's Kansas Jayhawks alumni team. 

This summer marks the 10th iteration of the beginning of The Basketball Tournament, which began in 2014 at Philadelphia University (the school has since merged with Thomas Jefferson University). 

Here's more on The Basketball Tournament's announcement:

“It’s fitting to return to the city where it all began for our tenth championship game,” said TBT founder and CEO Jon Mugar. “Doing so in partnership with the NBPA makes it even sweeter. Last year, the NBPA was essential in helping us pull off a flawless event at Rucker Park. We look forward to putting on our best-ever championship event in Philadelphia alongside the NBPA, Puma, and Zelle.”

“We partnered with TBT for the first time last year, and it was an amazing opportunity for us at the NBPA to connect on the grassroots level and engage with the local community in Harlem,” said Chris Jean, Senior Director of Business Development & Key Initiatives for THINK450. “We are excited to partner with TBT again and celebrate the 10-year milestone of this competition. Philadelphia has a great legacy as a basketball city, and we are eager to get on the ground and provide a positive experience for everyone involved.” 

“Drexel is excited to host an event of this magnitude on our campus,” Drexel Director of Athletics Maisha Kelly said. “One of our goals is to make the newly-renovated DAC a hub of entertainment and basketball in Philadelphia. This is a great step for us as we expand our brand and put Drexel Athletics on a national stage.”

Those interested in securing tickets for TBT’s Championship can sign up for TBT’s ticket waitlist here.

For more information on this year’s TBT or Championship Week in Philadelphia, visit TheTournament.com.


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