The NBA Cup, initially conceived as an “outside the box” idea to grow the league, has become a hit with both players and fans.

The tournament’s third edition continues this weekend with semifinal games in Las Vegas, as the San Antonio Spurs face Oklahoma City and New York takes on Orlando.

“We’ve been just thrilled with the results,” NBA executive vice president and head of basketball strategy and growth Evan Wasch told AFP.

Attendance records have surged since the Cup’s inception, with November averages topping 18,000 for the past three years—18,207 in 2023, 18,086 this year, and 18,012 last year.

NBA Cup games have also seen a massive digital footprint, averaging 2.2 billion views across NBA-owned social and digital platforms, a 41% increase from last year. Cup group games drew 17% more views than non-Cup matches, while global telecast viewership jumped 10% year-over-year (excluding China).

Players compete not only for the Cup but also for $530,933 per member of the winning team, adding intensity to matchups just weeks into the season.

“The atmosphere—it’s a different feel,” New York’s Jalen Brunson said. “You can’t really explain it—you just know there’s something else at stake. When there’s a chance to win something, go and win it.”

The concept of a mid-season Cup, inspired by European football, had been discussed in the NBA for years. The COVID-19 bubble, however, sparked new thinking about using unconventional ideas to drive league growth.

“It really was a journey,” Wasch said. “Conversations date back 10, 15, 20 years about how we could grow the game and enhance the competition. We came out of COVID thinking about momentum to innovate growth opportunities and some ‘outside the box’ ideas.”

These discussions coincided with negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement and media rights deals, making the Cup a long-term growth opportunity and a key “tentpole” for the league’s media packages, Wasch said.

The challenge was designing a format that generated excitement without adding too many extra games. The solution: most Cup games count as regular-season matchups, with the top eight teams advancing to knockout rounds.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural 2023 Cup, with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks capturing last year’s title.

Television and digital viewership have surged. More than 40 million U.S. fans watched last month’s group stage—a 90% increase from 2024—drawing especially younger audiences. The final week of group play averaged 2.19 million U.S. viewers, marking the best regular-season figure since early 2018-19.

NBC, a new telecaster, recorded 2.7 million viewers for a Tuesday double-header, a 122% jump from last year, while the post-Thanksgiving group stage finales drew 2.09 million viewers, up 121% year-over-year.

Close games have added to the excitement: 20% of this year’s group stage contests were decided by three points or fewer, compared to 15.7% of non-Cup games. “It feels like a playoff atmosphere,” said Miami’s Jaime Jaquez.

The NBA continues to explore tweaks to the Cup, including the number of group games and points tie-breakers. One confirmed change for next year will see the semifinals played on the higher seed’s home court, with the Las Vegas final remaining the only Cup game not part of the regular-season schedule.

Looking ahead, the league has hinted at potential inclusion of European clubs once the planned NBA Europe league launches.

“We’re trying to build on the magic we’ve seen in those group stage games,” Wasch said.