The 2026 NBA Cup will commence on Friday, Oct. 30, with all 30 National Basketball Association teams competing in Group Play. The tournament is set to conclude on Friday, Dec. 11, with the championship game hosted at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Each participating team will play four Group Play games. The eight teams that advance to the single-elimination Knockout Rounds will consist of the six group winners and one wild card from each conference.
2026 NBA Cup Key Dates
Group Play is scheduled to take place on Oct. 30, and Nov. 6, 13, 20, 24, 25, and 27. The Quarterfinals will be held on Dec. 4-5, followed by the Semifinals on Dec. 8 and/or Dec. 9. The Championship game is slated for Dec. 11.
Tournament Structure
During Group Play, each team will face the other four teams within its group once. The winners of the six groups will automatically advance, joined by the best second-place team from each conference. Point differential will serve as the primary tiebreaker after head-to-head results among tied teams.
All Group Play, Quarterfinal, and Semifinal games will count towards the teams' regular-season schedules, which comprise 82 games. However, the NBA Cup championship game itself will not be counted as a regular-season game.
Previous Winners
The New York Knicks were the champions of the 2025 NBA Cup, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 in the final. Jalen Brunson was recognized as the NBA Cup MVP. The Knicks went on to become the first team to win both the NBA Cup and the NBA championship in the same season.
Previous NBA Cup winners include the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024, who defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81, and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023, who bested the Indiana Pacers 123-109.