NBA Cup facts for kids
 |
|
| Founded | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 30 total; 15 per conference |
| Current champions | Los Angeles Lakers (2023) |
| Most championships | Los Angeles Lakers (1 title) |
| TV partners | |
 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament |
|
The NBA Cup is an exciting new basketball tournament. It happens during the regular National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The NBA officially announced the tournament on July 8, 2023. It first took place during the 2023–24 NBA season. The first event was called the In-Season Tournament.
The tournament has two main parts. First, there's a group play stage. After that, teams play in single-elimination knockout rounds. This means if you lose, you're out! There are three groups of five teams in each conference. That makes a total of six groups across the league.
Each team plays four games during the group stage. These games count for both the NBA Cup standings and the regular season standings. The team that wins each group moves on. Plus, one extra "wild card" team from each conference also gets to advance. The last two rounds of the knockout stage are played in a special neutral place.
The team that wins the tournament gets a trophy, also called the NBA Cup. Each winning player also receives a cash prize. In 2023, this prize was $500,000 for each player. The first team to win the NBA Cup was the Los Angeles Lakers. The tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP) was LeBron James.
Contents
History of the NBA Cup
NBA officials had thought about having an in-season tournament for over 15 years. The NBA wanted to get more viewers and attention. They especially wanted to compete with the National Football League (NFL) during November and December. This is when both leagues play their regular seasons.
On July 6, 2023, a reporter named Adrian Wojnarowski shared some news. He said the first tournament would happen from November 3 to December 9. The NBA officially shared all the details on July 8. They announced the groups and said the semifinals and championship would be in Las Vegas. On December 9, 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers. They won the first-ever NBA Cup championship game.
On February 2, 2024, the airline company Emirates made a big announcement. They signed a deal with the NBA. This means the tournament will be called the Emirates NBA Cup starting in 2024.
How the Tournament Works
The NBA Cup uses a format similar to other in-season tournaments. These include the WNBA Commissioner's Cup and tournaments in soccer. Here are the main rules for how the tournament is played:
- Each of the NBA's two conferences (East and West) is split into three groups. Each group has five teams.
- Teams are placed into groups based on their record from the previous season. Stronger teams are spread out.
- During November, teams play each other within their group. They play four games total: two at home and two away. These games also count as regular season games.
- Four teams from each conference move on to the knockout rounds. These are the three group winners. Also, the best second-place team from each conference gets a "wild card" spot.
- The Quarterfinal games are played at the home arenas of the top teams. The team with the best record hosts the wild card team.
- The semifinals and the championship game are played in Las Vegas.
- The championship game is the only tournament game that does not count as a regular season game.
- In 2023, players on the winning team each got $500,000. Players on the runner-up team got $200,000. Semifinal losers received $100,000 each. Quarterfinal losers got $50,000 each.
If teams in a group have the same record, there are rules to break the tie. These rules look at things like how teams played against each other. They also look at the difference in points scored and allowed. Sometimes, teams might try to score a lot of points to win by a bigger margin. This is because point difference can help break ties.
Special Uniforms and Courts
For NBA Cup games, home teams wear special "City" edition uniforms. The games are also played on unique basketball courts. These courts are different from regular season courts. They have a fully painted surface with a bright, contrasting color strip in the middle. The NBA Cup trophy is shown at the center of the court. Silhouettes of the trophy are also painted near the free-throw lanes. The court designs match the home team's "City" uniform for that year.
Not all teams could use their special courts in 2023. The Dallas Mavericks played their home games on regular courts. This was because of problems making their special court.
People had different opinions about the unique court designs. Some players, like Jaylen Brown and Luka Dončić, said the new courts felt slippery. Some fans thought the courts were too bright and distracting.
For the semifinals and final in Las Vegas, the court was blue with a red middle strip. The Los Angeles Lakers usually wore black "City" uniforms. But they had to wear their gold "Icon" uniforms in the semifinal. This was because their black uniforms didn't stand out enough against the blue court. The Indiana Pacers also had to change their uniforms.
Impact on the Regular Season
Most games in the NBA Cup count as regular season games. Only the championship game does not.
The NBA usually schedules 82 regular season games for each team. For the NBA Cup, they first announce 80 games. The last two games are added later:
- Teams that don't make the knockout rounds play two more games. One is at home, and one is away. These games happen when the knockout rounds are being played.
- The four teams that lose in the quarterfinals play one extra game. This game is against another team from their conference. It happens the day before the championship game.
Awards and Honors
After the tournament, the winning team gets the NBA Cup trophy. The trophy is black with eight gold prongs. Its base is inspired by the new conference championship trophies. The league also gives out an NBA Cup Most Valuable Player award. Players on the winning team get championship medals. There is also an "All-Tournament Team" of the best players.
NBA Cup Winners
| Year | Winners | Result | Runners-up | Venue | Location | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Los Angeles Lakers | 123–109 | Indiana Pacers | T-Mobile Arena | Paradise, Nevada |
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
The Most Valuable Player award winner is chosen by a group of media members. Fans can also vote online. For the first tournament, media members made 20 votes. Fans made 5 votes. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers was the first MVP winner.
| Year | Most Valuable Player | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | LeBron James | Los Angeles Lakers |
All-Tournament Teams
- 2023
