The Emirates NBA Cup is the NBA’s in-season tournament, featuring all 30 teams in a structured competition that runs during the regular season. Launched a few years ago, it offers teams a new trophy to chase and adds a high-stakes competitive element to early-season games. The 2025 edition begins on October 31, 2025, with the championship set for December 16, 2025, held in Las Vegas. This guide covers format, schedule, participants, viewing options, and storylines.
Table of Contents
Dates & Location
- Group Stage begins: October 31, 2025
- Group Stage ends: November 28, 2025
- Quarterfinals: December 9–10, 2025
- Held at the higher seed’s home court
- Semifinals: December 13, 2025
- Held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
- Championship Game: December 16, 2025
- Held in Las Vegas
- Doesn’t count toward regular-season standings
Group Stage Format
- The 30 teams are divided into six groups with each containing five teams, based on conference
- The record from last season will help determine the group allocation.
- Each team plays 4 games, one against every opponent, with two at home and two away
- Games will be held on ‘Cup Nights’
- These occur every Friday night
- Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 November act as additional Cup Nights
Knockout Stage Structure
- The teams that advance from the group stage are as follows:
- The 6 teams that win their respective groups
- 2 wild card teams – the best non-winners with the best records in each conference
- Quarterfinals: December 9–10
- Semifinals & Final: December 13 (semis) and December 16 (final) in Las Vegas
All NBA Cup matches are included in a team’s regular season record, except for the championship game.
Prize Money and Awards
- The incentives for the players is money and hardware
- The overall prize pool is over 18 million USD
- Money is only allocated to players on teams who make the knockout rounds.
- There is no championship ring, but there is the NBA Cup trophy
- Here is the breakdown for this year, accounting for a 15-man roster
- Quarterfinalist – $53,093
- Semifinalist – $106,187
- Runner-up – $212,373
- Champion – $530,933
- The NBA Cup MVP and All-Tournament Team are selected based on player performance throughout the competition, an additional individual honor.
Draw Selection Process
- Every team competes in the group stage, selected into 6 groups of 5 teams.
- The pools are randomly chosen based on the win-loss records from the 2024-25 season.
- The 15 teams in each conference are split up into sections of 3 teams.
- Each NBA Cup group will consist of one team from each section, aimed at having a balance of strong and weak teams across all 3 groups.
Groups
The Group of Death
West Group C has the toughest competition, with established teams including the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets, all top 7 teams last season. The San Antonio Spurs, with their 5-1 start let by 7’5 alien in Victor Wembanyama, along with the Portland Trailblazers, led by Israeli star Deni Avdija will surely challenge these top teams from last year, ensuring an entertaining but tough group for all teams involved.
Injured Players
- Many players are currently enduring injuries that will affect their participation in the NBA Cup.
- Achilles tears are on the rise, taking top players including Tyrese Haliburton, Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard out of commission for the majority or totality of this season and tournament.
- The list of notable players who are injured for the NBA Cup comprises of many players, highlighted by Kyrie Irving, Fred Vanvleet and De’aaron Fox.
Where to Watch
- Due to the new NBA media rights deal, the games will be spread across a couple of platforms
- Amazon Prime: Streams 10 group stage matches and all knockout games, including the final
- ESPN and NBC: Broadcasts some NBA Cup games.
- NBA League Pass: Offers coverage for many of the NBA Cup games for international viewers.
The 24′ NBA Cup
- In the inaugaral tournament, the LA Lakers led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109, with LeBron being awarded NBA Cup MVP and both players being placed in the All-Tournament Team.
- Players like Tyrese Haliburton and Austin Reeves announced themselves on scene with breakout performances, with Haliburton’s fast paced offense encouraging NBA teams in the future to treat the NBA Cup as a valid tournament rather than just an experiment.
- With the games counting towards the regular season (not the final), it was a unique tournament providing a boost to competitiveness early in the season.
- The success of the tournament, both on TV and social media set the stage for the NBA Cup to be permanently marked in the league calendar for years to come.
The 25′ NBA Cup
- Building on the success from last year, no format changes were made for the NBA Cup.
- The defending champion LA Lakers were bounced in the group stages, placing 3rd behind the Phoenix Suns and eventual runner-up OKC Thunder.
- The Doc Rivers’ coached Milwaukee Bucks with a star-combo of Giannis Antetokounmpo (Cup MVP) and Damian Lillard, both awarded All-Tournament Team honors beat the OKC Thunder 97-81.
- The level of care and seriousness teams were taking was clear, with playoff-level intensity and schemes based for specific players and teams, provided top quality entertainment for fans.
Storylines
- OKC Thunder: The only undefeated team so far this season, hoping to add the NBA Cup to their trophy cabinet, along with their NBA Finals trophy from last season
- San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama has led this young team to an exciting 5-1 start, and poses challenges to the ‘Group of Death’ in West Group C.
- Chicago Bulls: The six-time champions stand alone at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 6-1 record, led by Josh Giddey and his statline of 22 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists this season.
Marquee Matchups for NBA Cup Night 2
- Spurs v Rockets: Two top-5 teams battling it out, piloted by 7’5 alien Victor Wembanyama and aging superstar Kevin Durant in a game sure to be a defensive masterclass on both sides.
- Bucks v Bulls: The defending NBA Cup champion Milwaukee Bucks led by Giannis Antetokounmpo face off against the red-hot Chicago Bulls led by Australian Josh Giddey, a game sure to be exciting.
- Nuggets v Warriors: Two dominant teams bound to compete for playoff spots, led by Nikola Jokic and his deep roster playing against Steph Curry’s shooting and gravity.
FAQs
Q: When does the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup start?
The group stage begins on October 31, 2025
Q: When is the next Cup Night for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup?
The next Cup Night is on the November 8, 2025
Q: Who is the defending NBA Cup champion?
The Milwaukee Bucks won the previous edition
Q: How do I watch the NBA Cup?
You can stream on Amazon Prime Video, and watch on ESPN, NBC, or NBA League Pass
Q: Does the Cup affect regular-season standings?
Yes — most Cup games (group and knockout) count toward the regular-season record, except the championship game
