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 2025 event – Dec. 19-22 in Orlando, Florida – marked the 21st Showcase, featuring 31 games over four days spread across two courts. This was the third season that the G League hosted 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?

The NBA G League Winter 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 19 Showcases - including 30+ during the 2021 Winter Showcase between Dec. 18 and Dec. 22.

Building off the success of the 2024 NBA G League Winter Showcase, the 2025 NBA G League Winter Showcase will once again be a single-elimination tournament where the eight top teams from the Tip-Off Tournament compete for the Winter Showcase title.

Where does it take place?

The 2025 NBA G League Winter Showcase will be held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Orlando, Florida. This is the third 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 Winter Showcase Tournament?

Beginning Friday, Nov. 7, the league’s 31 teams 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 Winter Showcase Championship during the NBA G League Winter Showcase . The remaining teams will each play two games outside of the Showcase Cup Tournament during the event.

Beginning in 2025-26, Winter Showcase games will count towards each team's 36-game regular season record.

Where are the games broadcasted?

Once the full bracket is set following the conclusion of the Tip-Off Tournament, a full schedule will be made available for the 2025 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 20 years, especially since NBA teams often assign young talent to the NBA G League at this time.

Past participants include Timberwolves' center Rudy Gobert, Rockets' center Clint Capela, Clippers' guard Kris Dunn, Pelicans' guard Jose Alvarado, Hornets' guard Seth Curry, Pacers' forward Jarace Walker, Wizards' wing Cam Whitmore, Magic forward Jett Howard and other former NBA players such as Jeremy Lin, Lance Stephenson, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Trey Burke, Robert Covington, Michael Carter-Williams, Norris Cole, Jahlil Okafor, Shabazz Napier, Patrick Beverley, Mario Chalmers, Jordan Bell, Patrick McCaw, Kenneth Faried, Gerald Green, Hassan Whiteside, and J.J. Barea.

Who won last year's Winter Showcase?

In the 2025 Winter Showcase Tournament, eight teams were ranked based on their finish during the 14-game Showcase Cup pod play. The Raptors 905 (1), Salt Lake City Stars (2), Austin Spurs (3), Greensboro Swarm (4), Grand Rapids Gold (5), Stockton Kings (6), Maine Celtics (7) and San Diego Clippers (8) participated in the single-elimination, winner-take-all tournament.

The 2nd-seeded Salt Lake City Stars won the 2024 Winter Showcase Tournament, beating the No. 1 Raptors 905, 137-112, on ESPN2. Guard Max Abmas was named Showcase Cup Final MVP after scoring 29 points and adding 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the win for the Stars. With the victory, the Stars were awarded a $100,000 prize for NBA G League players on their team.

Who won previous Winter Showcase Tournaments?

While the NBA G League Winter Showcase is in its 21st year as an event in 2025, the event itself did not have a tournament format until 2019, and an MVP of the event was not named until 2021. Below are the historical winners of the NBA G League Winter Showcase Tournament since its introduction in 2019.