The NBA landscape continues to evolve, blending structured competition announcements with significant player-focused news. The league recently unveiled the complete details for the 2025 NBA Cup, including the group stage draw and the full tournament schedule. Simultaneously, headlines have been made by major contract agreements and unfortunate legal outcomes involving current and former players.
NBA Cup 2025: Structure and Schedule Revealed
Anticipation is building for the third edition of the NBA Cup (also known as the In-Season Tournament). While speculation continues about who might lift the trophy, the path to the final is now clearly defined with the announcement of the group pairings and key dates.
The group stage of the tournament is scheduled to commence on October 31, running through November 28. Following the group phase, the competition transitions to a single-elimination format. The Quarterfinals are set for December 9 and 10. The Final Four will then descend upon Las Vegas, the designated neutral site for the semifinals and championship game. Semifinal matchups will take place on December 13, culminating in the tournament Final on December 16.
The tournament structure features six groups, each comprising five teams. As in previous years, the groups are divided equally between the Eastern and Western Conferences (three per conference). Qualification for the knockout stage is straightforward: the winner of each of the six groups automatically advances, and they are joined by the best-performing second-place team from each conference, bringing the total number of teams in the elimination rounds to eight.
The group composition for the 2025 NBA Cup is as follows:
Eastern Conference Groups:
- Group A: Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards
- Group B: Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
- Group C: Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets
Western Conference Groups:
- Group A: Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz
- Group B: Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans
- Group C: Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs
The Milwaukee Bucks enter as the defending champions, having won the title the previous year. The inaugural NBA Cup was won by the Los Angeles Lakers two years prior.
OKC Secures Future with Massive Chet Holmgren Extension
Beyond the structured tournament schedule, the Oklahoma City Thunder organization has demonstrated a clear commitment to its promising young core with significant financial investments. Forward-center Chet Holmgren, the highly-touted second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, has reportedly agreed to a substantial contract extension. The deal is for five years and could be worth up to $250 million, contingent on various performance incentives.
This massive extension follows another high-value agreement recently reached by the Thunder, securing their primary star, guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with a four-year extension valued at $285 million, keeping him with the team through 2031. These figures, particularly Holmgren`s $250 million potential, represent the current economics of securing high-potential young talent in the NBA. While Holmgren`s career is still in its early stages – he missed his entire rookie season due to injury and averaged 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in the playoffs – the contract reflects the market rate for players perceived to have franchise-altering potential.
The deal is perhaps less a reward for performance *to date* and more a significant bet on what Holmgren is expected to become. As the source article dryly notes regarding the financial scale, it is indeed a “sea of money.” However, OKC`s strategy is evidently focused on locking down their core players for the long term, believing that Holmgren`s best is still to come. While some might debate if the current output justifies such a sum, the contract is a clear signal of the Thunder`s confidence in his future development and their ambition to remain competitive.
Former NBA Guard Ben McLemore Sentenced
On a more serious note impacting the league`s personnel, former NBA guard Ben McLemore has received a significant prison sentence. The 32-year-old, who was the seventh overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, has been sentenced to over eight years in custody following a conviction for rape.
The incident for which McLemore was convicted occurred in October 2021 during a party held at the residence of his then-Portland Trail Blazers teammate, Robert Covington, in Lake Oswego, Oregon. McLemore played nine seasons in the NBA for five different franchises, including a five-year stint with the Sacramento Kings where he posted a career-high average of 12.1 points per game in his second year. He also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Portland Trail Blazers. Following his NBA career, he played professionally in China, Greece, and Spain.
Despite the legal outcome, reports indicate that McLemore has consistently maintained his innocence regarding the charges.
These diverse news items underscore the multifaceted nature of the professional basketball world, encompassing both the strategic planning of league competitions and the impactful, sometimes challenging, realities faced by individuals within the sport.
