The NBA Cup is a National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season tournament introduced during the league's 2023–24 season. The first iteration was called the NBA In-Season Tournament, but was officially renamed later that same season.[1] The tournament itself and the trophy awarded are both called the NBA Cup.[1]
The format is a multi-stage tournament beginning with group play followed by single-elimination knockout rounds. Group play consists of three groups of five teams per conference (a total of six groups). Each team plays four designated regular season games (two at home and two on the road) which count towards the group stage standings. The winners in each group, along with one wild card second place team from each conference, then advance to the knockout rounds. The final two rounds of the knockout stage are played at a neutral site. The winning team receives the NBA Cup, and each winning player receives $500,000.[2]
As of 2023[update], the first and defending champions are the Los Angeles Lakers.
Champions
edit- The first parentheses in the Western champions and Eastern champions columns indicate the teams' playoff seed. The second parentheses indicate the number of times that teams have appeared in an NBA Cup Finals as well as each respective team's Finals record to date.
Bold | Winning team of the NBA Cup |
Year | Western champion | Coach | Result | Eastern champion | Coach | Tournament MVP | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023–24 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (1, 1–0) | Darvin Ham | 123–109 | Indiana Pacers (2) (1, 0–1) | Rick Carlisle | LeBron James | [3][4] |
Results by team
editTeam | Win | Loss | Apps | Pct | Year(s) won | Year(s) lost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles Lakers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 2023 | — |
Indiana Pacers | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | 2023 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Herbert, James (February 8, 2024). "NBA In-Season Tournament renamed 'NBA Cup' with Emirates as a sponsor". CBS Sports. Secaucus, New Jersey. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ^ "NBA goes bold with flashy announcement of In-Season Tournament". NBA.com. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ "NBA In-Season Tournament Tracker: Lakers win NBA Cup". NBA.com. New York City: National Basketball Association. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "LeBron James wins first-ever In-Season Tournament MVP". NBA.com. New York City: National Basketball Association. Retrieved December 10, 2023.