The NBA Cup 2024: What it is and How Fans Can Make the Most of the Experience

Rumors of an in-season NBA tournament have circulated in the American basketball community for years, starting with potential negotiations discussed back in 2021. 

A few years later, the tournament was officially announced on July 8, debuting during the 2023-2024 NBA season.
Also known as the Emirates NBA Cup due to the airline company’s sponsorship, the NBA’s in-season tournament will be renamed the NBA Cup in the upcoming season. 

Taking place during the regular season, the multi-stage tournament follows a group play format, where 30 NBA teams compete for the NBA Cup. 

The 2023 edition of the tournament boasted a cash prize of $500,000, which went to the Los Angeles Lakers and tournament MVP LeBron James.

Part of the goal for the newly renamed NBA Cup is to help drive interest in a part of the season when casual sports fans’ attention is focused on football.

This season’s tournament began on November 12, with each team playing four group games against each other. 

The top four teams then advance to the knockout round to battle it out for the top four placement in Las Vegas, culminating in a championship game on December 17.

Based on the groups announced, fans are keeping a close eye on West Group C, which consists of the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, and Memphis Grizzlies. 

The group’s collective competitive power has earned it the ominous nickname “Group of Death.” Meanwhile, the reigning NBA Cup winners Lakers are grouped with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, and San Antonio Spurs in West Group B.

If you missed last year’s inaugural NBA Cup season, this year is a good time to catch up. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to elevate the NBA fan experience throughout the ongoing NBA Cup. 

Below, we’ll take a look at some of the ways fans can make the most of the NBA Cup 2024 experience:
NBA betting

Aside from attending NBA Cup matches in person, there’s no better way to keep up with the tournament than to stream them online. 

Coverage of the NBA Cup is split across various ways, including online streamers such as DirecTV Stream, Sling TV, Hulu+ Live TV, and FuboTV. Meanwhile, cable users who prefer traditional channels can access NBA Cup games through ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV.

To take your NBA viewing experience to the next step, many avid basketball fans are now actively betting on games. 

In a survey looking forward to the NBA Finals this year, new data shows that consumer intent to bet on the NBA Finals has gone up by a notable margin from 2023. 19% of American adults aged 21 and up say they are at least “somewhat” likely to place bets this year, compared to the 13% recorded in last year’s Finals. 

Meanwhile, the latest CivicScience data revealed that 28% of US adults express some level of interest in watching the Finals, a mere one-point uptick from last year.

Nowadays, it’s very easy to access NBA betting odds online. Reputable betting platform Thunderpick is one of the industry leaders, where users can also place bets using cryptocurrencies while keeping track of games in real-time. 

You can also use the platform’s Live Mode to watch games and place bets on in-play events. 

Aside from straightforward odds, you can try out other NBA betting markets for more chances of winning, such as betting on Handicaps, Totals, and more. 

As long as you wager responsibly, NBA betting can help add to the high stakes of competitive basketball, keeping you immersed in the games.

Social Media

When not streaming or watching the NBA Cup games, one of the best ways to keep up with tournament standings and which teams are performing well is to stay tuned on social media. In fact, this is how many non-US NBA fans interact with the sport. 

According to Matthew Brabants, senior vice president and head of international content partnerships at the NBA, nearly 70% of the NBA’s social media engagement comes from outside the US. 

Brabants noted that this may be due to the time zone constraints that global fans may face when trying to keep up with live NBA games. 

For example, for European fans, NBA games take place during the night, making first—and third-party content platforms crucial for the NBA to reach audiences worldwide.

As such, the NBA has invested in making sure that NBA-related content is made as accessible to fans as possible, regardless of their device, from televisions to computers and smartphones.

Aside from following official NBA team accounts, many fans also enjoy following their favorite players, podcasters, and vloggers to keep up with the regular season and special tournaments like the NBA Cup.

Virtual match tracking

Finally, innovations in digital technology have made watching and keeping up with NBA games a fascinating and revolutionary experience. Switzerland-based sports tech company Sportradar recently introduced its proprietary 4Sight Streaming technology to create a new Virtual Live Match Tracker. 

This feature creates 3D visualizations of NBA games in real-time, allowing fans to view the action from multiple angles instead of being restricted to shots from cable TV or online streamers.

The technology was previously used in tennis and is now being adapted for NBA games.

In addition to the 3D visualizations, the system can analyze game data to generate predictive insights and animated overlays that help viewers better understand the action. 

In line with our subheading on the popularity of NBA betting, technologies like this can help avid bettors make more informed decisions while allowing fans and viewers to develop a deeper appreciation for the game. 

For the NBA nerds who enjoy in-depth stats and analysis, Sportradar also introduced Advanced Visualizations, which transforms NBA players’ skeletal tracking data into interactive graphics showing elements like player movement patterns and performance metrics. 

This is especially helpful if you’d like a more objective view of how your favorite players and teams are doing throughout the NBA Cup tournament.

Of course, you can always keep up with the latest reports on the NBA’s hoop action here at SportsWave Broadcasting. 

Whether you’re keeping an eye on Orlando Magic to see if they’ll continue their perfect streak of homecourt wins or looking at Franz Wagner’s trajectory as “Most Improved Player” in the league, we’ve got you covered.