The NBA Cup, initially referred to as the In-Season Match, has been round for 3 years now, and though followers weren’t initially bought on the concept, it has confirmed to be an entertaining, high-level competitors, giving the early-season doldrums some larger stakes.
A number of the greatest gamers in historical past have gained NBA Cup MVP awards thus far, giving the accolade status, and the competitors has even confirmed to be a spoiler of how the NBA playoffs would finally go, significantly final 12 months when the NBA Cup championship recreation (and outcome) mirrored the 2026 Finals.
With the competitors set to begin its fourth installment on Friday, we’re going to rank the High 10 gamers in NBA Cup historical past. Take a look at the outcomes beneath.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Stats: 30.2 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 7.7 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.7 bpg, 64.6 FG%, 31.9 3P%
Accolades: One NBA Cup title, one NBA Cup MVP, two All-Match Group picks
One in every of three NBA Cup MVPs, former s star Giannis Antetokounmpo actually appears to get up for this occasion, although many followers nonetheless don't appear all that into it. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the second NBA Cup championship ever, and the primary when it was named the NBA Cup and never simply the In-Season Match. The Greek Freak was additionally named NBA Cup MVP that 12 months, a well-earned honor that was capped by his efficiency within the last, a 97-81 Bucks win over the eventual NBA champion r. Antetokounmpo went off for 26 factors, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and three blocks on 10-of-19 taking pictures within the win, dominating an elite Thunder squad on each ends of the ground. All in all, Antetokounmpo deserves kudos for stepping up within the NBA Cup, giving the occasion extra validity at a time when many followers questioned its existence.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Stats: 31.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.8 apg, 2.4 spg, 0.8 bpg, 54.4 FG%, 37.4 3P%
Accolades: Two All-Match Group picks
Though he hasn't gained an NBA Cup so far, purely wanting on the uncooked stats, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes a robust case to be the competitors's greatest participant ever. The Canadian famous person ranks second all-time in factors per recreation within the NBA Cup, and first in steals per contest (amongst gamers who’ve participated within the occasion all three years). The Thunder have reached not less than the semifinal in every of the final two years of the NBA Cup, attending to the ultimate in 2024-25, the place they fell within the championship recreation in opposition to Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. To get to the 2025 last in opposition to Milwaukee, Oklahoma Metropolis needed to get previous the Houston Rockets. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to do exactly that, dominating Houston to the tune of 32 factors, eight rebounds, six assists, 5 steals and one block to present the Thunder a shot on the trophy in 2025.
3. Luka Doncic
Stats: 32.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 7.3 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.5 bpg, 50.1 FG%, 43.4 3P%
Accolades: One All-Match Group choice
Slovenian star Luka Doncic leads the NBA Cup in factors per recreation, which was sufficient for us to rank him third on this train regardless of by no means advancing previous the quarterfinal stage. Doncic continued his on-court statistical dominance within the In-Season Match and NBA Cup, hitting ridiculously robust photographs from all around the ground within the occasion, whereas rebounding and playmaking at a excessive degree and pulling down a formidable 43-plus p.c of his three-point makes an attempt. Most just lately, Doncic and the s fell within the NBA Cup quarterfinals to the eventual NBA Cup finalist Spurs, 132-119, however the six-time All-Star went down swinging, going off for 35 factors, 5 rebounds, eight assists and one steal within the shedding effort.
4. Jalen Brunson
Stats: 28.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.8 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.3 bpg, 50.9 FG%, 39.6 3P%
Accolades: One NBA Cup title, one NBA Cup MVP, one All-Match Group choice
In what proved to be a preview of the NBA Finals, Jalen Brunson led the s to an NBA Cup championship in 2025-26, even doing so in opposition to the identical workforce New York would take down within the Finals: San Antonio. Brunson earned NBA Cup MVP honors for his efforts final season, averaging 33.2 factors and 5.8 assists per recreation on 53.1 p.c taking pictures from the sector and 46.2 p.c from three. Within the last in opposition to the Spurs, Brunson had 25 factors, 4 rebounds and eight assists and was a plus-15 within the 124-113 win for the Knicks. Merely put, when the stakes get highest, Brunson appears to raise his recreation to a different degree. When a participant is as masterful as he’s at attending to his spots, drawing fouls and hitting robust photographs, and he's capable of lock in with larger stakes on the road, he turns into extraordinarily robust to cease, as is the case with the southpaw bucket-getting ground common.
5. Nikola Jokic
Stats: 30.2 ppg, 13.4 rpg, 9.7 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.9 bpg, 59.1 FG%, 53.5 3P%
Newfound Nikola Jokic detractors, who’ve began to cling to his lack of workforce success because the Denver Nuggets' 2022-23 championship, aren't going to like this, however we ranked Jokic among the many 5 greatest NBA Cup performers ever although he's by no means been capable of lead Denver previous the group stage of the competitors. And might you blame us? Simply take a look at his numbers. Jokic ranks fifth all-time in NBA Cup factors per recreation, second in rebounds and third in assists, as his typical statistical dominance has translated to the league's three-year-old mid-season event. Alas, Jokic hasn't gotten sufficient assist from teammates to get additional within the competitors as of but, although that would very effectively change this season.
6. LeBron James
Stats: 22.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 8.1 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.4 bpg, 52.4 FG%, 42.1 3P%
Accolades: One NBA Cup title, one NBA Cup MVP, one All-Match Group choice
Had LeBron James saved up his tempo from his first NBA Cup look, again when it was known as the In-Season Match in 2023-24, he'd be the unquestioned greatest participant within the competitors's historical past. That NBA Cup, James led the Lakers to the championship, was named MVP of the event and made the All-Match Group after averaging 26.4 factors, 8.0 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.6 steals. After that, James' NBA Cup run dwindled, because the four-time league MVP would common simply 17.8 factors within the competitors in 2024-25 and 19.0 factors in final 12 months's version, which harm his place on this rating. James and Co. didn't get previous the group stage of the NBA Cup in '25 and had been eradicated within the quarterfinal in '26, so after James' fiery begin within the competitors's historical past, his output wasn't the identical the subsequent two instances he participated. Even then, James will at all times be remembered as the primary MVP and the primary champion within the Cup's historical past. James had a 24-point, 11-rebound, four-assist outing in L.A.'s championship recreation win over the Pacers again in 2024, a 123-109 Lakers victory.
7. Damian Lillard
Stats: 28.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 7.7 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.3 bpg, 49.3 FG%, 48.5 3P%
Accolades: One NBA Cup title, one All-Match Group choice
The 2025 NBA Cup proved that, not less than for a bit, the Antetokounmpo partnership with Damian Lillard did work, because the Bucks gained their three knockout-round video games that 12 months by a mixed 29 factors, together with a formidable 97-81 demolition of the eventual champion Thunder within the championship recreation. In that contest, Lillard went off for 23 factors on 12 field-goal makes an attempt, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. General in that NBA Cup run, Lillard averaged 27.3 factors and eight.3 assists on 45.9 p.c taking pictures from three. It's too dangerous Lillard acquired injured in that subsequent NBA playoff run, as he and his Greek counterpart may have made some noise that postseason, primarily based on how effectively they carried out collectively within the NBA Cup.
8. Anthony Davis
Stats: 23.4 ppg, 13.3 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.0 spg, 2.8 bpg, 54.5 FG%, 70.5 FT%
Accolades: One NBA Cup title, one All-Match Group choice
Former No. 1 choose Anthony Davis was nonetheless at his two-way peak in 2024 when he and James led the Lakers to the In-Season Match championship. Davis was an absolute power on each ends of the ground, ending explosively across the basket offensively and utilizing his 7-foot-5 wingspan to dam nearly the whole lot on the opposite finish of the ground. Though James gained NBA Cup MVP that 12 months, Davis was one of the best participant within the championship recreation win over the Pacers, going off for 41 factors, 20 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks on 16-of-24 taking pictures within the 123-109 victory over Indiana. Solely s have put up such a stat line in a regular-season recreation: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Joe Barry Carroll — which speaks to how dominant Davis was that evening.
9. De'Aaron Fox
Stats: 28.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 7.3 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.5 bpg, 47.0 FG%, 38.3 3P%
Accolades: One All-Match Group choice
De'Aaron Fox's most dominant Cup days got here with the Sacramento Kings in 2023-24 and 2024-25. In these NBA Cup campaigns, respectively, Fox averaged 34.5 factors, 7.3 rebounds and seven.5 assists per recreation, adopted by 33.3 factors, 5.3 rebounds and 6.5 assists, though he was solely capable of lead Sacramento out of the group stage as soon as, in 2024, when the Kings fell within the quarterfinal, 127-117, by the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans. As soon as he was with the Spurs, Fox's numbers fell to a extra humble 22.3 factors, 3.2 rebounds, 7.7 assists and a pair of.0 steals per recreation in final season's NBA Cup. Fox helped lead San Antonio all the way in which to the championship recreation, the place the Spurs fell 124-113 to the New York Knicks. In what proved to be a preview of the NBA Finals, Fox struggled in opposition to New York within the championship recreation, scoring 16 factors and meting out 9 assists whereas going simply 5-of-13 from the ground and freely giving 5 turnovers.
10. Karl-Anthony Cities
Stats: 22.1 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 3.1 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.9 bpg, 47.9 FG%, 39.9 3P%
Accolades: One NBA Cup championship, one All-Match Group choice
The Knicks swept the primary workforce awards final season, successful each the NBA championship and the NBA Cup title, and massive man Karl-Anthony Cities had so much to do with that, acting at a excessive degree in each competitions. Cities is a incredible face-up scorer for a giant man, a just about elite three-point shooter and a high-level rebounder, making him an issue on each ends of the ground. Cities has additionally executed an incredible job of determining his function on the Brunson-led Knicks, changing into hyper-efficient by selecting his spots effectively. Within the Knicks' NBA Cup semifinal win over the Orlando Magic final 12 months, the victory that acquired them to the championship recreation, Cities had an enormous outing, scoring 29 factors on nine-of-11 taking pictures, securing eight rebounds and hitting two three-pointers. Brunson will get a number of the credit score for New York's latest success, however individuals shouldn't sleep on what a high-level participant Cities is.
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