PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers will open NBA Cup play on Friday when they play host to the New York Knicks in Group B. This is the fourth iteration of the Cup as the NBA has introduced an in-season tournament in order to add to the intensity of the early part of the regular season.
The Cup has been met with some skepticism by some as there are some who think of it more as a gimmick. There are some who view it as something of a preview for the playoffs. The Knicks, for example, won the Cup in 2025 and then went on to win the championship that season.
When one asks the Sixers, specifically big man Joel Embiid, there are some mixed reviews.
"I never really cared," Embiid said before beginning to smile as he had a new bit he wanted to lean
into. "To me, at the end of the day, you still got to win a basketball game. Yeah, but I'm going broke, so I need some money. So I gotta make a speech to the guys, and get them going. I need a little bit of money. Yeah, it's not looking good right now for me."
The winners of the Cup, which will be decided in the championship game at Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse on Dec. 11, win a hefty cash prize, so that's what Embiid is referring to. When one asks second-year guard VJ Edgecombe, he's more interested in making sure the Sixers just win a game.
"To be honest, I think it kind of feels like a regular season game, but at the end of the day, you want to win every regular season game," laughed Edgecombe. "So, like I said, obviously that's a goal of ours, but honestly, we just want to go out there, just play hard if it’s a cup game, or not. We want to treat it like every other game where we just go out there and be ourselves, play hard, and try our best to win."
VJ Edgecombe on the NBA Cup: “To be honest, I think it kind of feels like just a regular season game, but at the end of the day, you want to win every regular season game.” #Sixers pic.twitter.com/Iz3HE3DWb4
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) October 30, 2026
The Sixers are in a tough group in Cup play as they are joined by the Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat. It will take a lot for Philadelphia to get out of group play, but again, Edgecombe is focused on making sure the Sixers are in the best position to win games.
"I'll say it's a challenge every night, and obviously I think we could get every team's best shot every night, and we just try to make sure that we're connected," Edgecombe finished. "So, obviously, like I say, we can obviously continue make strides in the right direction. Forgive me, but I do not know what all teams are in Group B, but it sounds like we got some heavy hitters, and at the end of the day, it's just to go out there, make sure we just win. Just make sure we play our best basketball, make sure we're together, and just continue growing."
Before the Sixers took on the Pacers on Wednesday and earned a comeback win, coach Nick Nurse stated he wants to make sure his team is ready as Philadelphia prepares for its latest journey into the Cup.
"We’re going to get through this game and then we’re going to work on the next game and the extra part of that game, which is the Cup," Nurse said. "Yeah, we’ll talk to them about it for sure. We want to play well."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 2026 NBA Cup preview: How do Sixers feel about Cup in 4th iteration?
