Marquette, MI – December 17th, 2025 – The NBA In-Season Championship debuted during the 2023 season, with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the inaugural tournament and the Milwaukee Bucks capturing the title last year. The event begins with group, or “Cup,” play, where each group winner and two wild-card teams advance to a single-elimination knockout round. The championship team earns the trophy and a $530,933 payout for each player.
This season’s tournament tipped off on Halloween when group play got underway. The group winners were the Toronto Raptors (East A), Orlando Magic (East B), New York Knicks (East C), Oklahoma City Thunder (West A), Los Angeles Lakers (West B), and San Antonio Spurs (West C). The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat claimed the two wild-card spots, setting the stage for the knockout rounds.
Quarterfinal action opened with the Magic defeating the Heat (117–108), followed by the Knicks dispatching the Raptors (117–101). In the West, the Thunder dominated the Suns (138–89), while the Spurs closed the round by eliminating the Lakers (132–119).
In the Eastern semifinal, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby combined for 93 points as the Knicks defeated the Magic (132–120). The Spurs earned their place in the championship game by edging the Thunder (111–109) behind balanced scoring, with De’Aaron Fox, Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Devin Vassell each topping 20 points.
The championship saw the Spurs and Knicks battle throughout the game. San Antonio led 30–28 after the first quarter and carried a 61–59 edge into halftime. The Spurs extended their lead to 94–89 entering the fourth quarter, but New York surged late. Led by OG Anunoby’s 28 points and Jalen Brunson’s 25, the Knicks outscored San Antonio 35–19 in the final frame to claim the In-Season Championship (124- 113). Dylan Harper led the Spurs with 21 points in the loss.
Despite the victory, the Knicks announced they will not hang an In-Season Tournament banner at Madison Square Garden, becoming the first team since it was created to not hang a banner. Jalen Brunson was named tournament MVP after averaging 33.2 points throughout Cup play.
