Former Wizard Becomes In Season Tournament Champion

Rui Hachimura Becomes In Season Tournament Champion

The NBA made a change this offseason and incorporated something to bring more ratings, attention, and awareness to the game of basketball. Over the years, the league has loss some viewership simply due to the fact that guys were taking so many games off due to something they call an “injury”, load management.

This season was the very first In Season NBA Tournament. New jerseys were involved as well as new court designs too. The tournament brought a lot of excitement and a sense of urgency too. There wasn’t any playoff series or anything like that. It was win or go home and that’s what really got things interesting. 

The first ever In-Season Tournament Champions: Your Los Angeles Lakers pic.twitter.com/qst33lhZm2

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 10, 2023

It came down to the Indiana Pacers and the LA Lakers to be crowned the very first In Season NBA Tournament Champions. Superstars tend to win in the biggest stages of this game and that is just what happened as LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the LA Lakers took down the Pacers 123-109. LeBron was named the MVP (24 points, 11 assists, and four assist). However, the true star of this game was Anthony Davis as he scored 41 points, 20 rebounds, and five assist. 

MVP chants for the MVP 🏆 pic.twitter.com/QdyBUMQ5Pr

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 10, 2023

Former Wizard Rui Hachimura was traded to the Lakers last season and was vital in their playoff run last season. They came up short last season. However, they were able to get the prize this time by winning the In Season NBA Tournament. Rui Hachimura only logged nine minutes in this game and went scoreless as he only took one shot in this game. He did, however grab a couple of rebounds as the Lakers won this game on the boards. The Lakers dominated the boards outrebounding the Pacers 55-32. Former Wizard Rui Hachimura is officially an In Season NBA Champion.