What to know about the 5 former Wildcats playing in the NBA Cup semifinals

The NBA’s in-season tournament, dubbed the NBA Cup, is down to the semifinal round in Las Vegas. Five former Kentucky Wildcats will suit up in hopes of taking home the grand prize, which doles out over $500,000 to each player on the winning team.

In the Eastern Conference, we have the New York Knicks (17-7) and Orlando Magic (15-10), while the Western Conference features the San Antonio Spurs (17-7) and reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder (24-1). Those semifinal games will take place on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET and 9:00 p.m. ET, respectively. The two winners move on to the NBA Cup title bout next Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET | Prime Video).

The Eastern Conference semis only include one former ‘Cat, but the Western Conference version will have a couple on both sides. Let’s quickly break down both games ahead of the action.

Eastern Conference: Knicks vs. Magic

In this game, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is the lone UK representative, but he sure is a good one to have eyes on. Coming off an All-NBA season in 2024-25, Towns is putting up similar numbers in 2025-26: 22.1 points, 12 rebounds, 3.3 assists per game, although his shooting numbers have regressed a bit down to splits of 46.4/35.5/88.1. Even still, he’s been New York’s second-best player once again this season and has the Knicks sitting in second-place in the East after a slow start

The NBA Cup is still relatively new, but this is the Knicks’ first time playing in the semifinals. Towns says he would use his winnings to help folks in the Dominican Republic if New York can take home the in-season championship.

Interviewing New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns in advance of today’s NBA Cup matchup vs Orlando Magic. KAT on a tough Magic team, OKC’s dominance, the importance of NBA Cup and what he would do with $500,000 if they won. pic.twitter.com/mbQ1E3V1vy

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 13, 2025

As for the Magic, they’re a team that has posted an 11-4 record following a 4-6 start. Desmond Bane has hit a groove after being traded in the offseason, but Franz Wagner, arguably Orlando’s best player, will not play due to injury. The Knicks and Magic have already faced each other three times this season, with Orlando winning two of those games.

Western Conference: Spurs vs. Thunder

Orlando-New York will serve as the appetizer for the main course. All eyes will be on the Spurs vs. Thunder in the late game, especially with Victor Wembanyama expected to make his return to the hardwood for the first time since Nov. 14 after dealing with a calf strain. Alongside him for the Spurs will be a couple of Wildcats playing great basketball as of late.

De’Aaron Fox is looking like the All-Star caliber player he was a couple of seasons ago. The 6-foot-3 point guard is averaging 24 points and 6.3 assists per game this season on shooting splits of 48.6/38.8/84.4. While Wembanyam was out for the last month, Fox helped guide the Spurs to an impressive 9-4 record. Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Devin Vassell help fill out a talented San Antonio backcourt, but Keldon Johnson has been hooping in the frontcourt, too.

Johnson, 26, has taken on a new role this season as an energy and effort player. He’s averaging 13.1 points and a career-high 6.5 rebounds in 24 minutes per outing off the bench this season. Johnson wants to win the NBA Cup so he can buy a llama for his ranch. He says he currently has 11-12 goats, four mini cows, two horses, a mini donkey, and about six chickens — normal stuff for an NBA player.

As for the Thunder, the headliner is obviously Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s reigning MVP and Finals MVP, who is putting together an even better season in 2025-26. He’s barely playing in fourth quarters right now as OKC continues to blow teams out. The Thunder have just one loss and are real threats to set a new NBA record by winning 74 games in a single season. SGA is averaging 32.6 points, 6.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per outing on splits of 56.2/45.4/88.2. His field goal and three-point percentages are both career-highs.

We can’t forget about SGA’s teammate Cason Wallace, either, one of the best perimeter defenders in the entire world. He was named the Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month in November. Wallace is also off the injury report after dealing with a minor undisclosed issue, meaning OKC will have its complete starting five available and healthy for the first time all season. That’s scary to think about considering the current record. Wallace is leading the NBA in steals per game at 2.3.

The backcourt matchup between these two teams will be must-watch TV.