The third iteration of the Emirates NBA Cup tipped off on Halloween -- a little over a week after the 2025-26 NBA regular season began. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural in-season tournament trophy in 2023,

Follow along with tonight's NBA action as we keep you updated with the latest highlights and happenings around the league.

The NBA's in-season tournament returns for its third year. The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks won the last two tournaments, and with over $500,000 for each player on the winning team on the line, it's certainly something several of the game's biggest stars will show out for.

Two-time All-Star Ja Morant shared pointed comments after the Memphis Grizzlies’ rough night against the Los Angeles Lakers in an NBA Cup matchup.

The 2025 NBA Cup begins on Friday. Don't feel ashamed if you didn't know. It's Halloween, after all. You're probably busy, and the tournament has never started this early. The group stage was a November exclusive in 2023.

All of the games count towards the 82-game regular-season standings, with the exception of the championship game. Teams that advance to the knockout round all receive a share of the roughly $18 million prize pool, with teams advancing the furthest getting the largest allotment.

Four of The Athletic's writers teamed up to rank the 30 NBA Cup courts for this season. Which court did the writers rank as the best?

The six group winners plus a wild card from each conference — determined by head-to-head record and point differential — go into an eight-team knockout round bracket (East vs. East, West vs. West, similar to the NBA playoffs where the conferences are separate until the Finals). The knockout round games are single-elimination.

In its first two years, the NBA Cup has provided a platform for every team to reach its full potential. As Group Play begins tonight, the 4-0 Chicago Bulls and the Joker’s 3-1 Nuggets look poised to meet the moment.

Like pumpkin spice lattes or Christmas decorations, it feels like the start of the NBA Cup creeps up a bit earlier every year. But like with pumpkin spice and Christmas lights, that is a good thing, because the NBA Cup,