Three years ago, basketball fans weren’t sure what to think. The NBA announced it was creating something called the “NBA Cup,” an in-season tournament that would happen right in the middle of the regular season. Some people loved the idea. Others thought it was weird and unnecessary. Now, after three seasons of colorful courts, knockout rounds, and championship games in Las Vegas, we finally have enough information to answer one big question: Is the NBA Cup actually helping the NBA?
The short answer is yes. But like most things in life, it’s a bit more complicated than that.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Let’s start with the most obvious way to measure success: how many people are watching. This year, more than 40 million viewers tuned in for NBA Cup group stage games across ESPN, NBC, Peacock, and Amazon Prime Video. That’s a 90% increase compared to last year. To put that in perspective, imagine if your school had 100 students show up to a basketball game last year, and this year 190 students came. That’s a huge jump.
The 2025 NBA Cup group stage was the most-watched in the tournament’s three-year history. On average, 1.5 million people watched each group stage game. NBC’s special Tuesday night broadcasts pulled in 2.7 million viewers, making it the biggest group stage night ever. Even when the semifinals moved to Amazon Prime Video streaming instead of regular TV, viewership still went up 14% compared to last year.
It’s not just American fans paying attention either. International viewership for NBA Cup games jumped 10% this season. Across all NBA social media and digital platforms, Cup games averaged 2.2 billion views, which is 41% higher than the previous year. Cup games also drew 17% more online views compared to regular non-Cup games.
Why Players Actually Care
Here’s something interesting about the NBA Cup that might surprise you. Players actually care about winning it. Sure, it’s not the same as winning the real NBA Championship and holding up the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Victor Wembanyama, the young superstar for the San Antonio Spurs, said winning the Cup wouldn’t be “a super significant step” but called it “still a significant one.”
So why do players try so hard? Well, money talks. The prize pool for the NBA Cup is pretty sweet. Winning players on the 2025 champion New York Knicks each received $530,933. Even players who just made it to the semifinals earned $106,000 each. For young players on minimum contracts who make around $1.27 million per year, that bonus is a massive deal. It’s like getting a 42% raise just for playing well in a few extra games.
Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane put it perfectly after his team advanced to the semifinals. He had just been fined $35,000 for throwing a ball at an opponent. “That’s huge, man. I just lost $35,000. I gotta go get it back somehow,” Bane joked.
But it’s not just about money. The data shows that players are genuinely competing harder during Cup games. About 63.3% of NBA Cup games have been “clutch” games, meaning they were close and competitive near the end. That’s six percentage points higher than regular non-Cup games. Also, 20% of Cup games have been decided by three points or fewer. In regular games, only 15.7% are that close.
The Hidden Benefit: Playoff Practice
One of the coolest things about the NBA Cup is how it helps young teams prepare for the real playoffs. Think of it like a practice test before the big exam.
The Indiana Pacers are the perfect example. In 2023, they made a surprising run to the NBA Cup championship game, where they lost to the Lakers. That experience helped their star guard Tyrese Haliburton become a nationally known player. The Pacers learned what it felt like to play under pressure with everyone watching. The following season, they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Then in 2025, they reached the actual NBA Finals.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a similar journey. They lost the 2024 NBA Cup Final to the Milwaukee Bucks, playing one of their worst games of the season. But Thunder guard Jalen Williams said that experience taught the team valuable lessons. “It gave us a good gauge of what to expect,” Williams explained. “The biggest thing is how to use my time wisely, to know when to get treatment and still stay in a routine.” The Thunder went on to win the 2025 NBA Championship.
Not Everything Is Perfect
The NBA Cup has plenty of fans now, but it still has some problems the league needs to fix. The biggest issue is the atmosphere at the Final Four in Las Vegas. When the Knicks and Magic played their semifinal game at T-Mobile Arena, there were lots of empty seats, especially in the upper levels. It just didn’t have the same energy as a real playoff game.
The NBA has already admitted this is a problem. The league announced that 2025 will be the last year with neutral-site semifinals in Las Vegas. Starting next season, semifinal games will be played at the arena of the higher-seeded team. There’s even talk about moving the championship game out of Vegas too, possibly to famous college basketball arenas.
Some coaches have also complained about the schedule. Doc Rivers, coach of the Milwaukee Bucks who won the 2024 NBA Cup, said winning the tournament actually hurt his team afterward. “The team that has won it has struggled coming out,” Rivers admitted. “I found that out last year. It’s hard.”
There have also been concerns about player injuries and whether the Cup creates too many games early in the season. However, the NBA pushed back hard on this criticism, saying the data doesn’t support it. The league pointed out that star player injuries are actually down 25% this season.
What Skeptics Think Now
Remember, not everyone loved the NBA Cup when it started. Even some coaches thought it was a bad idea. Knicks coach Mike Brown admitted he was against it at first. “I was like, oh, man, for what? In the middle of the season?” Brown recalled. But after experiencing a real Cup run this year, his mind completely changed. “This is a really, really neat thing,” Brown said. “It’s a fantastic experience for everybody.”
Here’s a quick summary of how the NBA Cup is helping the league:
- Group stage viewership up 90% to over 40 million viewers
- International audience grew 10%
- Record-breaking attendance at NBA games in November over the past three years
- Players competing harder with 63.3% of Cup games being “clutch”
- Young teams gaining valuable playoff-like experience
- Prize money giving players extra motivation to compete
- More exciting close games (20% decided by 3 points or fewer)
The Verdict
The NBA Cup isn’t perfect. The Vegas atmosphere needs work, and the league is still figuring out the best format. But overall, the tournament is doing exactly what Commissioner Adam Silver hoped it would do. It’s making early-season basketball more exciting during a time when the NFL usually dominates sports headlines. It’s giving players something extra to compete for. And it’s helping young teams learn what winning feels like before the real playoffs begin.
Three years in, the NBA Cup has gone from a weird experiment to a real part of basketball culture. The numbers prove it. The players embrace it. And fans are watching in record numbers. Is the NBA Cup helping the NBA? Absolutely. And it’s only getting better.
