The Basketball Tournament (TBT)

The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is a million-dollar, winner-take-all event owned by Chris Paul that has been a staple on the annual sports calendar since 2014. TBT revolutionized the sport by launching the Elam Ending®, a unique and electric form of basketball that has earned TBT acclaim from avid basketball fans and casual sports fans alike. What began with one game streaming in TBT’s inaugural tournament has exploded into 25 live TV games across ESPN and FOX.

During any given tournament, NCAA alumni teams account for roughly half of TBT’s teams. Beginning in 2026, TBT intends to split its bracket into two halves: one comprised of all alumni teams, the other comprised of all non-alumni, “mercenary” teams. These mercenary teams have become synonymous with TBT and regularly feature the top professional players in the world outside of the NBA. Through this format change, TBT will establish an identity for the mercenary side of the bracket: personality-driven teams, a festival atmosphere, and a unique annual basketball fan experience.

TBT is seeking a host partner for the Mercenary Bracket to help market the event and support operations. Much like The Tournament has done with The Soccer Tournament (TST), TBT has plans to grow this event into the preeminent basketball fan experience in the world.

2026 Tournament Format: TBT 2026 will feature 16 teams. The bracket will be split into two sides:

1. The Alumni Bracket (8 teams) - played across 8 colleges. The champion of this bracket will host the Championship.
2. The Mercenary Bracket (8 teams) - played in a single location. The champion of this bracket will travel to the Alumni Champion’s home court for the Championship.

Round One for both brackets will be a best-of-3 series. All other rounds, including the championship, will be single-elimination.

The Mercenary Bracket will run over 7 days (9, including set-up dates before teams arrive), with at least 11 games and no more than 15.

Sample Event Schedule for the Mercenary Bracket: ● Tuesday, July 21: Set Up Day ● Wednesday, July 22: Set Up Day ● Thursday, July 23: Set Up + Practice Day ● Friday, July 24: Round 1, Game 1 ○ 4x Games ● Saturday, July 25: Round 1, Game 2 ○ 4x Games ● Sunday, July 26: Practice Day ● Monday, July 27: Round 1, Game 3 (if necessary) OR Practice Day ○ 0-4x games, pending results of previous games ● Tuesday, July 28: Round 2 ○ 2 games ● Wednesday, July 29: Round 3 ○ 1 game ○ Load-Out

Projected Economic Impact: Estimated total hotel room nights for TBT 2026 Mercenary Bracket: 792 ● NOTE: estimate covers teams + TBT staff only and does not account for fans

Budget Offsets" TBT is seeking direct budget offsets from its Mercenary Bracket Host. That value can be driven through: ● Waived venue rental costs ● Waived local PD costs ● Waived EMT/ambulance costs ● Waived event staff costs, etc.

In exchange, TBT will deliver the following to its Mercenary Bracket Host: ● Pledge to engage as many local businesses/vendors as possible ● (1) on-court apron logo placement on the Mercenary Bracket court ● (5%) share of voice on courtside digital signage rotation for games played on the Mercenary Bracket court ● (4) courtside tickets to all games in the Mercenary Bracket ● Bank of (100) additional standard tickets to games in the Mercenary Bracket ● Option for media buy if/when applicable

Tournament projected to run 7/22-7/29, dates subject to change until TV distribution plan is finalized.