The NBA Cup in-season tournament has been at best a curiosity and at worst a joke since starting in 2023.
This season, the league got a presenting sponsor in Emirates Airlines, and was able to sell Amazon Prime Video the entirety of the tournament starting next season. While those business successes have bolstered the league’s commitment to the tournament, reception among fans and media has been mixed at best.
The brightly colored courts, confusing standings system, and haphazard scheduling are going to take time for NBA fans to get used to.
But one statistic that should make NBA executives thrilled came from BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt this week on the Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast.
Greenblatt revealed that BetMGM has seen a 70 percent overall increase in NBA bets this season, driven by a “spike” in betting on NBA Cup games on Tuesdays and Fridays. Many of these bets are player props and live, in-game betting, Greenblatt explained.
“The NBA does a great job in marketing their players, which drives a decent percentage of interest and betting action,” he said.
Beyond the celebrity appeal of NBA stars, Greenblatt also said the stop and start nature of basketball makes it an easier sport to bet on. Overseas, sports like soccer, hockey and rugby are more free-flowing and live betting is more difficult.
So long as the NBA Cup remains a business success, the league will likely remain committed to it. Viewership trends are difficult to measure, but a few NBA Cup nights have seen impressive viewership this season. If BetMGM is seeing a surge in interest, the league and its other partners likely are as well.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.