The NBA's in-season tournament is no longer the In-Season Tournament. Going forward, it will be called the NBA Cup, the league announced Thursday, and it will be sponsored by airline Emirates.
The name of the trophy won by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first iteration of the tournament two months ago will not change. Next season, the winners of the second annual NBA Cup will hoist the NBA Cup.
From the NBA's press release:
As the first title partner of the Emirates NBA Cup, the global airline will be featured through a co-branded Emirates NBA Cup event logo, with co-branded promotion planned across the NBA's global social media community and in-arena signage throughout the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinal and Championship games starting next season.
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The sponsorship will also allow Emirates to enjoy a presence at other marquee league events, including as a partner of NBA Crossover – an immersive fan event at NBA All-Star – and as the presenting partner of the NBA Finals Legacy Project, which features the dedication of new NBA Cares Live, Learn, or Play Centers in each NBA Finals team market. Emirates branding will also be visible through virtual in-arena signage and on top of the backboard during nationally televised NBA games, beginning with the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.
The league announced that, as well as being the "inaugural title partner" of the NBA Cup, Emirates is the first "referee jersey patch partner of the NBA" -- its logo will appear on every NBA referee's jersey from the NBA All-Star Game (on Feb. 18 in Indianapolis) onward. WNBA referees will have the same jersey patch starting in 2025, and G League referees will have it starting in 2024-25.
