Een kijkje bij de NBA Cup 2025: het format, nieuwe velden en speciale patches op de shirts

The Emirates NBA Cup is shaking up the league's traditional schedule for a couple of years now, offering a new championship to chase and bringing heightened excitement to the early part of the season. A key part of the event's identity is its bold visual presentation, including unique courts and special jersey modifications.

Unique Courts:

The tournament is known for its distinct court designs. As seen in the photo, the Dallas Mavericks' vibrant, fully-painted blue court from the 2024 NBA Cup is a prime example of this style, featuring a massive graphic of the tournament trophy at center court. It is expected that new, similarly bold court designs will be unveiled for the upcoming season.

Special Jersey Patches:

In addition to the courts, teams that advance are distinguished with special uniform elements. As shown on the provided jerseys, teams that reached the Semifinals and Championship in Las Vegas during last season's knockout rounds wore a special Emirates NBA Cup trophy patch on the back of their jerseys, placed above the player's name.

2025 NBA Cup Groups:

All 30 teams have been randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on won-loss records from the 2024-25 regular season. Each team will play four designated Group Play games – one game against each opponent in its group, with two games at home and two on the road. Group Play games will be played on designated “Cup Nights. ” Cup Nights will take place every Friday from Oct. 31 – Nov. 28, with additional Cup Nights on Tuesday Nov. 25 and Wednesday Nov. 26.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the Emirates NBA Cup?

The Emirates NBA Cup (formerly the NBA In-Season Tournament) is the league’s annual in-season tournament, which provides players and teams with another competition to win. The tournaments intention is to engage fans in a new way and drive additional interest in the early portion of the regular-season schedule.

When is the Emirates NBA Cup 2025?

The third annual in-season competition will tip off on Friday, Oct. 31 and culminate with the Championship on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

Where will the Emirates NBA Cup 2025 be played?

All tournament games will be played in NBA team markets except the Semifinals and Championship, both of which will be held at a neutral site (Las Vegas).

Which teams will participate in the Emirates NBA Cup?

All 30 teams will participate in the first stage of the tournament, Group Play. Eight teams will advance to the second and final stage, the single-elimination Knockout Rounds.

What does the champion of the Emirates NBA Cup receive?

The champion will receive a trophy, the NBA Cup. In addition, a prize pool will be allocated to players on teams that qualify for the Knockout Rounds, with allocations increasing depending on how far a team progresses in the tournament.

Will top performers from the Emirates NBA Cup be honored?

After the Championship is played, a media panel will select the Most Valuable Player of the Emirates NBA Cup and the All-Tournament Team. Selection will be based on the players’ performance in both Group Play and the Knockout Rounds.

What are the Knockout Rounds?

The Knockout Rounds will consist of single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (Dec. 9-10), Semifinals (Dec. 13) and Championship (Dec. 16).

How does the Emirates NBA Cup affect the regular season?

Every team will still play an 82-game regular season. All Emirates NBA Cup games will count toward the regular-season standings except for the Championship game, which will not count towards the regular season.

How can I watch the Emirates NBA Cup?

The game and broadcast schedules for the Emirates NBA Cup Group Play stage will be announced later in August. All games in the Knockout Rounds will be streamed on Prime.