RAPID CITY — The Lakota Nation Invitational — already the state’s largest basketball tournament — could be even bigger in 2025. 

Bryan Brewer, the LNI founder and director, said Thursday the annual winter extravaganza is strongly considering expanding in two years. Currently, the four-day basketball tournament consists of 48 teams — 24 boys teams and 24 girls teams. 

The event coordinators are discussing expansion, which would include eight more boys teams and eight more girls teams, equaling a whopping 64 total teams.

“We really want to do it,” Brewer said. “We’ve talked to the Civic Center about it and our board is for it. One of the problems is are we going to get enough referees. We are struggling right now to get them, but that would be a good problem. We are really hoping something like that can happen. It’s on the table right now.”

The 46th annual Lakota Nation Invitational, which started Wednesday and continues through Saturday, hosts Native American and non-Native American teams in the 500,000-square foot venue. Currently, the boys and girls teams are divided into a 16-team bracket and an eight-team bracket. 

Brewer said teams from Native American schools from South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico and Alaska have inquired about joining the event. 

“It’s very difficult because we like the teams that we have right now,” Brewer said. “We have a couple non-Indian teams that we would like to keep in the tournament, too. It’s part of our reconciliation.”

Brewer said “We would have no problem getting teams,” for the Native American spectacle, which was featured in Sports Illustrated in 2003. 

Wyoming Indian High School, which was chronicled in the 2002 documentary title “Chiefs”, has inquired about playing in the LNI. A number of Montana teams have expressed interest in joining the field, with interested school boards attending the event this year to experience it. 

“It would be nice if we could pick up some of them, especially the Montana teams,” Brewer said. “That’s some great basketball up there. Plus it would be nice with the Crows playing the Lakotas.” 

Teams in the LNI sign contracts for either two or four years, said Brewer. The LNI Board of Directors will strongly look at expansion in 2025 after contracts are up next season. 

“We will be making new contracts,” Brewer said. “We have some teams that would like to come in next year, but they are kind of on a waiting list. If someone drops out, they want in. But that’s kind of our plan. It’s a nice goal to have.”

Currently, the LNI basketball games are played in the Summit Arena, Barnett Arena and Ice Arena inside The Monument. If another eight teams are added, the LNI would consider putting a basketball court in the Rushmore Room inside The Monument. 

“We believe we can put that in there and actually have games,” Brewer said. “The Civic Center said they could get the seating in there, but we would be able to add eight more boys and eight more girls. We are looking at that right now.”

The event’s growth would be another step in its evolution. In 1976, the LNI began as an eight-team boys basketball tournament in Pine Ridge. 

Three years later, the tournament relocated to the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City. It steadily evolved through the year, going from eight, 12, 16 and 24 teams — both boys and girls teams. 

Brewer, who helped create the LNI, never could have envisioned it would erupt into its current state. 

“We just had the eight teams and I remember years later we went to 12,” Brewer said. “That was a big deal. Then we went 16 and here we are 24 now. I never would have guessed that. But with this new addition to The Monument and the Summit, that’s made a lot of this happen.”

But it’s much more than basketball. It began Tuesday with the wrestling tournament and it also includes events for cheerleading, hand games, Pow wow, Lakota Language Bowl, art show, knowledge bowl, chess, E-Sports, skateboarding and archery. 

“The whole goal and the whole idea for LNI is to get as many students opportunities to participate where we can showcase them,” Brewer said. “Because we have a lot of great children and that’s the whole thing. This isn’t just basketball. We want to get all of our kids involved.”