The NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament officially begins tonight. In an effort to make the tournament even more competitive, the league's coaches will be paid from a financial prize pool if their team advances to the final rounds of the tournament, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The head coach of the in-season tournament's winning team will earn $500,000. That is the same amount that the winning team's players are slated to receive.
In addition, NBA assistant coaches will earn an additional share of the pool money that will equal 75% of the winning coach's total payout. The tournament runner-up will win $200,000, while the semifinalist will earn $100,000 and the quarterfinalist will land $50,000.
According to Wojnarowski, the NBA's coaching leadership met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver to talk about paying the coaches for their involvement in the tournament just like the players.
The tournament gets underway on Friday with a seven-game lineup -- Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn Nets at Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards at Miami Heat, Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks at Denver Nuggets.
The winners of the six different groups and a pair of wild cards will advance to an eight-team elimination round. Following that, the final four teams will face off on Dec. 7 and 9 in order to crown a champion.
