NBA G League United wins FIBA Intercontinental Cup, edges Rytas Vilnius in thriller

NBA G League United held off a late Rytas Vilnius rally to win the Final of the 36th FIBA Intercontinental Cup 89-86 on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing. The 8,342 fans in attendance set a new modern-era record for the event, topping the 8,205 who watched last year's championship game in Singapore.

Coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah's squad had built a 13-point lead with six minutes to play before Rytas Vilnius, the Lithuanian club, twice pulled level in the final 90 seconds. NBA G League United had reason to feel it had unfinished business in the competition — the select team had already reached the Final in both 2024 and 2025, losing to Unicaja on both occasions in Singapore.

Dixon answers twice down the stretch

Eric Dixon made sure the third trip to the Final ended differently. Each time Rytas Vilnius tied the score in the closing minute and a half, the power forward had the response — first a 3-points shot, then a lefty hook that restored the cushion NBA G League United needed. Sean East II closed it out from the free-throw line to seal the 89-86 win.

Dixon finished the Final with 18 points and was named Most Valuable Player of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2026, an honor that reflected his tournament-long production of 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and an efficiency rating of 15.8 per game, the best marks on his own roster. The Villanova Wildcats' all-time leading scorer reached double figures in scoring in all four of the team's games in China, including the championship game. He received his MVP award from Luis Scola, the tournament's ambassador.

At this year's event in China, NBA G League United opened the group phase with wins over the Beijing Royal Fighters, the Chinese hosts, and Boca Juniors, the Basketball Champions League Americas winners from Argentina. The Americans then eliminated the RSSB Tigers, champions of the Basketball Africa League from Rwanda, in the Semi-Finals before facing Rytas Vilnius for the title.

A first for the USA in half a century, and where the tournament stands

The win marks NBA G League United's first ever title in the competition, and it also makes the team the first from the United States to win the FIBA Intercontinental Cup since the Maryland Terrapins in 1974. The country now counts six championship-winning teams in the event's history: the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots, who won three straight from 1967 to 1969, the NABL All-Stars in 1972, the Maryland Terrapins in 1974, and now NBA G League United in 2026. Europe remains the most successful continent overall, with 24 first-place finishes, and Real Madrid remains the most decorated club with five titles.

Earlier Sunday, Boca Juniors beat the RSSB Tigers 93-62 to finish third. On Saturday, the Beijing Royal Fighters had defeated the Shanghai Sharks 101-87 to finish fifth, leaving the Zhejiang Golden Bulls' third-place finish from 2023 as the best result by a Chinese team in the competition's history. The final standings read: NBA G League United, Rytas Vilnius, Boca Juniors, the RSSB Tigers, the Beijing Royal Fighters and the Shanghai Sharks.

The 2026 edition was the first held in Beijing, which will keep hosting the FIBA Intercontinental Cup through 2028.