NBA | Emirates NBA Cup

NBA reveals all 30 Emirates NBA Cup courts

The custom-painted designs feature team identities and tournament elements ahead of Group Play, scheduled to begin October 30, 2026.

Nikos Papadopoulos

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The NBA announced on October 13, 2026, that all 30 teams will have custom-designed, fully painted courts for the Emirates NBA Cup. The courts are planned for Group Play, the Quarterfinals and Semifinals.

According to the NBA, the designs draw inspiration from Nike Basketball’s 2026 Standard Issue Collection and incorporate team branding alongside Cup imagery.

Team designs and Cup details

The NBA says each court will feature oversized team wordmarks on both sides and the host team’s primary icon at center court. The Emirates NBA Cup trophy will appear at center court and in the paint.

Court colors are designed to contrast with the home team’s Statement Edition uniform, which teams will wear for Cup games. A new tournament tagline, “30 Teams. 8 Advance. 1 Champion.”, will appear near the corner three-point line.

Group Play begins October 30

The NBA’s announcement said Group Play was scheduled to start Friday, October 30, 2026, with the New York Knicks visiting the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers at the Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET. Both games were set to stream on Prime Video.

The 30 teams were randomly drawn into groups of five within their conferences, based on their 2025–26 regular-season win-loss records. Each team is scheduled to play four Group Play games from October 30 through November 27.

Knockout rounds and championship

Eight teams are scheduled to advance to the Knockout Rounds. The Quarterfinals and Semifinals are set to take place in NBA team markets, with all Knockout Round games streaming exclusively on Prime Video.

The tournament is scheduled to conclude with the Emirates NBA Cup Championship on December 11, 2026, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Newsroom

The court designs and tournament schedule were detailed in an announcement published by the NBA on October 13, 2026.

Byline

Nikos Papadopoulos

Community pulse

Editorial transparency · How this story was created

This article was prepared by the automated Ranko newsroom using tournament data recorded on Ranko Universe at the time of generation. Subsequent updates or corrections may not yet appear here.

This report summarises the results and standings available when it was prepared.

AI-generated editorial illustration. Not a photograph or an official game screenshot.