When the NBA announced its first-ever in-season tournament for the 2023-24 season, some were skeptical and dismissed it as a gimmick. While one can debate the value and weight of winning the tournament, it was a success for the league.
Players played with more gusto during tournament games, and the final game of the tourney got excellent ratings. Of course, in that final game, the Los Angeles Lakers brushed past the Indiana Pacers, 123-109, to win the inaugural NBA Cup.
For this coming season, the in-season tournament has a new sponsor in the airline Emirates. On Friday, the groups for the tourney were announced, and the Lakers will be in West Group B along with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs.
The groups are set for the Emirates NBA Cup 2024, as revealed tonight on ESPN.
All 30 NBA teams were randomly drawn into groups of five within their conference based on win-loss records from the 2023-24 regular season.
The groups are available below. pic.twitter.com/vCwzPPcnVk
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) July 12, 2024
While this may not be the most competitive group (that will likely be West Group C), it won’t be an easy one either. The Suns still have Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, while the Thunder finished with the top seed in the Western Conference last season and look to be even stronger going into the 2024-25 campaign.
Meanwhile, playing the Spurs means dealing with Victor Wembanyama, the reigning Rookie of the Year. Many feel the 7-foot-4 France native is going to become an MVP-caliber player, if not the best player in the world, within five years, and it is scary to think how much better he will be in just his second pro season.