This season will be the fourth one in a row in which the NBA holds its in-season tournament, which has been titled the Emirates NBA Cup. The Los Angeles Lakers won the first one in December 2023, and last season, the New York Knicks took home the NBA Cup after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in the final game, which turned out to be a preview of June's NBA Finals.
This year, the Lakers are in West Group C, which also includes the Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings. Their first game in group play will take place on Oct. 30, when they visit the Warriors.
Whenever an Emirates NBA Cup game takes place in a team's home arena, it gets to use a special court for the occasion. The courts for all 30 teams have been unveiled, and fans can now take a look at the one the Lakers will use.
The Lakers’ floor for the NBA Cup this year: pic.twitter.com/lg8kBe1Qqv
— Trevor Lane (@TrevorLane) October 13, 2026
Last season, the Lakers advanced to the knockout rounds of the Emirates NBA Cup, but they lost in their quarterfinal game to the Spurs, 132-119.
This feature of the NBA season was designed to increase fan interest during the early stages of the schedule when it overlaps with the latter part of the NFL season. So far, it has seemed to be a relative success, as players have been taking it seriously and playing with extra effort and motivation during its games.
This article originally appeared on Lakers Wire: Lakers' home court for Emirates NBA Cup games has been revealed