Players Era Festival

Eventupdated 2025-11-24 20:49
Players Era Festival

The Players Era Tournament is an early-season college basketball event held during Thanksgiving week in Paradise, Nevada. Games are played at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and the tournament was established to provide each participating team with at least $1 million for their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collectives. Its inaugural edition took place in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.

This tournament is notable for its significant financial model, directly supporting student-athletes through NIL payments at a time when such compensation is a major topic in college sports. By offering substantial financial incentives, it represents a shift in how early-season tournaments can attract top programs and impact team resources beyond traditional competition.

Recently, the Players Era Tournament has been in the news as it tipped off with an expanded field of 18 elite teams competing in Las Vegas. Coverage has highlighted the start of the event, its schedule, and team matchups, with media noting its prominence during the college basketball Feast Week period. The increased team participation and high-profile games have drawn attention to its growing role in the sport's early-season landscape.

Brief generated by an LLM (DeepSeek) from Wikipedia and recent news headlines.

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