Skip to Main Content

Frequently Asked Questions: NBA G League Winter Showcase

What is the NBA G League Winter Showcase?

The NBA G League Winter Showcase is the NBA G League’s annual in-season scouting event, when all teams converge in one city to play in front of NBA general managers and player personnel executives from all 30 NBA teams. The 2023 event – Dec. 19-22 in Orlando, Florida – will mark the 19th Showcase, featuring 31 games over four days spread across two courts. This is the first season that the G League will host the event in Orlando after the G League announced a sponsorship deal with Hyatt. Previous Winter Showcases had been held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Why is it important?

Showcase gives the over 200 players on NBA G League rosters a chance to shine in hopes of achieving their dream: landing an NBA contract. It takes place right before the point in the season when NBA teams can sign free agents to 10-day contracts.

The majority of players in the NBA G League are free agents who can be signed by any NBA team (click here to learn more about how rosters are built), so a flurry of deals typically occur during and after Showcase each year. More than 100 players have earned GATORADE Call-Ups during or immediately after the last 18 Showcases - including 30+ during the 2021 Winter Showcase between Dec. 18 and Dec. 22.

Building off the success of the 2022 Showcase Cup, the 2023 NBA G League Winter Showcase will once again feature the expanded NBA G League Showcase Cup Tournament, a single-elimination tournament where eight teams will compete for the Showcase Cup Championship.

Where does it take place?

The 2023 NBA G League Winter Showcase will be held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Orlando, Florida. This is the first season that the G League will host the event in Orlando after it announced a sponsorship deal with Hyatt.

Past hosts include Las Vegas, Nev., Mississauga, Ont., Santa Cruz, Calif., Reno, Nev., Columbus, Ga., Fayetteville, N.C., Sioux Falls, S.D., Boise, Idaho and South Padre Island, Texas.

Which teams can win the Showcase Cup?

Beginning Friday, Nov. 10, the league’s 30 teams and NBA G League Ignite will be separated into four regional pods and will play 14 games against one another in NBA G League markets. The teams with the best winning percentage in each regional pod, along with the next four teams across the league with the best winning percentages, will play for the Showcase Cup Championship during the Winter Showcase. The remaining teams will each play two games outside of the Showcase Cup Tournament during the event.

Following the Winter Showcase, team records will reset and the 34-game regular season will tip off on Wednesday, Dec. 27, bringing each team’s total games played to 50.

Where are the games broadcasted?

2022 Winter Showcase games were broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+ and NBATV. Games will begin at 11 a.m. PT each day with four games on each court. Once the full bracket is set following the conclusion of games on Sunday, December 17th, a full schedule will be made available for the 2023 NBA G League Winter Showcase.

Which players have appeared in past Showcases?

A host of up-and-coming NBA players have put their skills on display at Showcase over the past 18 years, especially since NBA teams often assign young talent to the NBA G League at this time.

Past participants include Jazz centers Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside, Hawks center Clint Capela, Trail Blazers wing Robert Covington, Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley, 76ers guard Seth Curry, and other former NBA players such as Jeremy Lin, Gerald Green, and J.J. Barea.

Who won last year's Winter Showcase?

In the 2022 Showcase Cup tournament, eight teams were ranked based on their finish during the 16-game Showcase Cup pod play. The South Bay Lakers (1), Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2), College Park Skyhawks (3), Ontario Clippers (4), Iowa Wolves (5), Cleveland Charge (6), Windy City Bulls (7), and Maine Celtics (8) participated in the single-elimination, winner-take-all tournament.

The 4th-seeded Ontario Clippers won the 2022 Showcase Cup, beating the No. 7 Windy City Bulls 99-97 on ESPN2. Brandon Boston Jr. was named Showcase Cup MVP. With the victory, the Clippers were awarded a $100,000 prize for NBA G League players on their team.