What is the NBA Cup? Format, schedule and prize money explained
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- The NBA Cup is the league's in-season tournament. It is now in its fourth year and is backed by Emirates.
- All 30 teams play group games first. The top eight then play single-elimination knockout games.
- The 2026 final will be held on December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, a new venue this year.
The NBA Cup is a second trophy that NBA teams can win during the regular season. It started in the 2023-24 season. The 2026 edition began on Friday, October 30.
Think of it as a mini tournament inside the long NBA season. Every team takes part. The games count toward the regular-season record, and the winner gets a trophy.
How the format works
The tournament has two parts: group play and the knockout round. It works much like the group stage of the soccer World Cup.
All 30 teams are split into six groups of five teams. Three groups are in the Eastern Conference, and three are in the Western Conference. The groups are based on last season's records, so the talent is spread out.
Each team plays the other four teams in its group once. That is four group games in total. Each team plays two of those games at home and two on the road.
These games happen on special "Cup Nights." Most of them are on Friday nights from October 30 through November 27. A few extra games fall on November 24 and 25, just before Thanksgiving.
You can spot a Cup game right away. Teams play on bright, specially painted courts used only for Cup play. The home team also wears its Statement Edition uniform, according to NBC Sports.
Who moves on to the knockout round
Eight teams reach the knockout round. The six group winners qualify first, and then each conference adds one wild-card team. The wild card goes to the second-place team with the best record.
When teams tie inside a group, the tiebreakers kick in. The order is head-to-head record, then point differential, then total points scored. If teams are still tied, last season's record decides, and a random draw is the final step.
The Associated Press notes that history favors strong group play. Of the 24 teams that reached the quarterfinals in the first three years, ten went 4-0 and the other fourteen went 3-1.
The knockout schedule for 2026
The knockout round is single elimination. Lose once, and you are out.
The quarterfinals will be played on December 4 and 5. The semifinals follow on December 8 and 9. This year both rounds will be played at the home arena of the higher-seeded team.
That is a change. In past years, the semifinals were held in Las Vegas, and the league has now moved the title game away from Las Vegas for the first time. The championship game will be played on December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Hinkle Fieldhouse sits on the campus of Butler University. It is a famous arena in basketball history. The 1986 movie "Hoosiers" was inspired by a real game played there in 1954.
The prize money
Money is a big reason players care about the Cup. The bonuses grow with each round a team survives.
Each player on the championship team will collect $604,985. Players on the runner-up team get $241,994 each. Losing semifinalists earn $120,997 each. Players who lose in the quarterfinals receive $60,499.
That money means different things to different players. For a star, it is a nice extra check, but for a player on a minimum salary, it is a large boost. The winning team also receives a trophy, a banner, hats, and shirts, and the league names a tournament MVP and an All-Tournament Team as well.
How the Cup fits the regular season
One common question is whether Cup games are "extra" games. The answer is no, mostly. All Cup games count toward the regular-season standings, except the final.
Teams began the season with only 80 scheduled games. The 81st and 82nd games depend on how far a team goes in the Cup: the quarterfinal counts as the 81st game, and the semifinal counts as the 82nd.
The championship game does not count in the standings. It would be an 83rd game for the two finalists, so it is kept separate. Teams that do not reach the knockout round get two extra regular-season games scheduled against other non-qualifiers in early December.
There is one thing the Cup does not do. It has no effect on the playoff bracket, according to NBC Sports Boston. A team cannot reach the playoffs by winning the Cup.
Who has won it before
The Los Angeles Lakers won the first edition in 2023. The Milwaukee Bucks won in 2024. The Bucks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in that final, with Giannis Antetokounmpo putting up a 26-point triple-double.
The New York Knicks won last year. They beat the San Antonio Spurs in the final on December 16, 2025, in Las Vegas, with Jalen Brunson named the tournament MVP. The Knicks went on to win the NBA Finals in June 2026, making last year's Cup look like a preview.
This year's tournament will feel fresh for a new reason: nobody has ever lifted the trophy in Indianapolis. The first champion crowned at Hinkle Fieldhouse will be decided on December 11.
What happens next
Group play runs through November 27, so the race is just starting. Watch the opening games: on October 30 the Knicks visited the 76ers and the Lakers played the Warriors.
The NBA standings will shift as these group games pile up. For the new faces, like the top pick AJ Dybantsa with the Washington Wizards, the Cup is an early test against the league's best. And after opening night battles like Thunder against Spurs, every Cup night now carries extra weight.
Fans searching for "what is the NBA Cup" will get their answer quickly: it is a shorter, sharper race inside the long season. One trophy, real money, and a single-elimination sprint to Indianapolis. For teams that start slow, the Cup offers an early chance to prove they belong.
The groups will decide who survives by late November. The knockout round will decide who lifts the trophy on December 11.
Related stories
Why Is Altitude Sickness Worse for Some People?
Altitude sickness hits some people harder because of genetics, ascent speed, and prior history, not fitness level. Here is what raises risk
Why Do You Get Blisters When Hiking and How to Prevent Them
Friction plus moisture plus heat equals a blister. Learn why hiking breeds all three, and the boots, socks, and tape system that keeps
How to choose hiking boots for beginners: fit, features, and break-in
Beginners should buy for fit first: snug everywhere, tight nowhere, with a thumb's width at the toes. Here is how to size, test,