NBA legend has high praise for the NBA Cup

Dwyane Wade is now a broadcaster for Amazon Prime and was last hear announcing the semifinal game between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. Wade was on the broadcast team with Ian Eagle (Magic Knicks), Michael Grady (Spurs Thunder) Stan Van Gundy (Spurs Thunder), and Cassidy Hubbarth.

The NBA Cup is a much-debated topic in the NBA with many for it and some against it. Well, the Miami Heat legend has been a huge advocate for it in the past as shown here:

D-Wade says he’s a big fan of the NBA Cup 👀🏆

“The intensity of those games just mean more than a regular game on a Tuesday… this is one of the best things the NBA has done.” pic.twitter.com/sHxlpR8R4P
— Wy Network by Dwyane Wade (@wynetwork) November 24, 2025

And his continued praise of the NBA Cup continued again in the semi-final matchups.

During both broadcasts, Wade praised the NBA Cup. Talking about how the basketball was competitive, how the hustle was playoff like, and how the teams looked like they really wanted to play that 83rd game.

Us watching this game 🍿

Tune into the Spurs-Thunder fourth quarter on @PrimeVideo #NBAonPrime pic.twitter.com/tmp5RKPwPE
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) December 14, 2025

A Great Idea

And Wade is right, early season high stakes matchups where the stars give their all and the coaches coach like it's the playoffs. Its great for the sport, the fans, and the players.

The incentive of the NBA Cup goes beyond a trip to Vegas as the teams who advance in the tournament receive $53,093 each for reaching the quarterfinals, $106,187 for advancing to the semifinals, and $212,373 for winning the championship. With the biggest payout going to the winners, who receive $530,933 per player, along with an additional team bonus. The runners-up also receive a sum of $212,373.

So, for players on two-way contracts and rookie deals, you can see the financial incentives on full display. Shown with the excitement on each team's bench throughout the NBA Cup.

Victor Wembanyama with High Praise too

Wade wasn't the only star with high praise as Victor Wembanyama had this to say after providing a huge performance in limited minutes:

"This is not a regular game; this is not a typical regular season game. Because we know that if we lose, we're out. Some people are built for these moments; some aren't. But we definitely are, and it shows, because it's not against anybody that we won that game. I feel lucky. I'm glad we have this group because everybody buys into this, and everybody is built for these moments."
Victor Wembanyama

Not Wade's First Time

Wade has discussed how the All-Star game is dead on his own podcast before, and goes further saying this:

“You’re trying to get through the All-Star game. trying to provide that to be a stage, now in this day, of just purely entertainment. But the competition for me midseason and midpoint is now the In-Season Cup.”
Dwyane Wade

The In season tournament provides great competetion and a refreshing brand of basketball early on in the NBA season.

The was not only a great addition, but a needed one. In the modern age of load management and tanking, it is great to see team's give so much effort early on in the season, and give the NBA what it's regular season has been missing for awhile, meaningful, highly competetive regular season matchups.

Catch the NBA Cup Final Tuesday at 8:30 PM EST on Prime Video (Knicks, Spurs)