This year’s Maui Invitational is relocating to Honolulu because of last month’s devastating wildfires in Maui, the event announced on Friday.
It will return to the Lahaina Civic Center — which was spared from extensive damage but has served as a disaster recovery center for FEMA — in 2024.
“While we have to move this year’s tournament off of Maui, we are determined to celebrate and honor the culture and traditions that make this event so special,” said Tom Valdiserri, executive vice president of KemperSports LIVE, the operator of the Maui Invitational. “Throughout this process, we’ve seen the spirit of ‘ohana in action. Thank you to Gov. Josh Green, Hawai’i Tourism Authority, and Mayor Richard Bissen as well as the staff at Chaminade University of Honolulu and University of Hawai’i at Mānoa for working tirelessly with us to keep this year’s tournament in Hawai’i.”
This year’s tournament will be held at the Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.
“We are disappointed that we could not make the Lahaina Civic Center available for the Maui Invitational this year, but we are thankful the Tournament is staying in Hawai’i,” Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said. “We appreciate everything the Maui Invitational is doing to help Maui and its residents.”
The Maui Invitational should be this season’s premier nonconference tournament, with a field headlined by Kansas, ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s latest Way-Too-Early Top 25, No. 3 Purdue, No. 7 Gonzaga, No. 8 Tennessee and No. 10 Marquette. UCLA, Syracuse and Chaminade round out this year’s eight-team field.
Honolulu was the site of the game that sparked the creation of the Maui Invitational — Chaminade’s historic upset of No. 1 Virginia and Ralph Sampson in 1982. The event launched as a four-team tournament in 1984.
