Players Era announced that the University of Kansas will participate in the 2025 Players Era Men’s Championship in Las Vegas. Kansas joins what will be the most competitive field ever put together for a men’s in-season tournament. The Players Era Men’s Championship, which currently has 16 teams committed for next year’s field, will again coincide with the opportunity for athletes on each team to engage in at least $1 million of NIL activities for Players Era and its sponsors outside of competition.
“Adding the University of Kansas – a perennial national championship contender and arguably the most accomplished program in the history of NCAA men’s basketball – to our 2025 Men’s Championship field elevates our event to an entirely different level,” said Players ERA CEO Seth Berger. “I want to thank Coach Bill Self for his commitment to Players Era and his belief in what we are building, putting the players’ needs above all else and building an unprecedented field of top-tier programs, including multiple teams from each power conference and the Big 12 leading the way with four squads, which is going to make this a must-see event.”
Added Self: “We’re fired up to be a participant in next year’s Players Era Men’s Championship. This season’s Players Era was a big success. This will be a great opportunity for our team and I’m sure our fan base will enjoy spending a few more days in Las Vegas.”
Kansas is the latest powerhouse program to join the 2025 field, as the Players Era Men’s Championship expands from eight to at least 18 teams for next year’s competition. This addition comes off the groundbreaking and successful launch of the men’s Players Era Festival that debuted at MGM Grand Garden Arena and was distributed on TNT Sports, where players from the nation’s top teams engaged in $9 million of NIL activities for sponsors. Publicis Sports, the dedicated U.S. sports practice within Publicis Media, will continue to partner with EverWonder and the Players Era Men’s Championship to help secure new advertising and sponsorship partners for the tournament.
The 2025 Men’s Championship will introduce an entirely new structure for early-season tournaments, with the expanded event featuring international-style group play with championship matchups. The Jayhawks join all eight programs who participated in last month’s inaugural tournament, Alabama, Creighton, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State and Texas A&M – along with new participants Baylor, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Michigan, St. Joseph’s, St. John’s and Syracuse.
The loaded field features 12 teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the latest AP Top-25 rankings, including seven teams in the top-15 in No. 3 Iowa State, No. 6 Alabama, No. 8 Kansas, No. 10 Oregon, No. 12 Texas A&M, No. 13 Gonzaga and No. 15 Houston.
Earlier this week, Players Era announced that it will be launching its inaugural Women’s Championship next year in Las Vegas, where four elite women’s basketball programs – South Carolina, UCLA, Duke, and Texas – will compete in a round robin tournament with the opportunity for athletes on each team to engage in at least $1 million of NIL activities for Players Era and its sponsors outside of competition.
In addition to the Players Era Women’s and Men’s Championships, Players Era aims to continue expanding by adding future events and content opportunities with the goal of continuing to grow the game of college basketball and creating a year-round focus on the sport.
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