NBA THE RUN: How to Earn the Knock-Out Squads Champion Belt in Wave One

After a tournament victory in NBA THE RUN, your avatar lifts the Knock-Out Squads Champion belt. The Wave One – 2000s Legends content update adds it, and the belt has no extra cost, unlike the five Hall of Famers released with it. All players receive it.

Quick answer: Win a Run the World Tournament in NBA THE RUN once Wave One goes live on September 29, 2026, and your squad raises the Knock-Out Squads Champion belt in the victory celebration.

When the Championship Belt becomes available

The belt won’t appear in-game before Wave One. The update dated September 29, 2026 adds it on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Install and update NBA THE RUN to get the content; the belt is part of an update, not a standalone release.

The same day also starts the game’s first official Season and adds the Dyckman NYC court, the Drive Cam and Drive Flip Cam angles, new dunks and taunts, and licensed music. All of that is free. The belt sits on the free side of the update alongside those additions.

What earns the belt: winning the Run the World Tournament

Tournament winners receive the belt as a celebratory award. NBA THE RUN centers on the Run the World Tournament, a four-round Knockout bracket in which teams of three compete on streetball courts. The concluding championship takes place at one of four finals courts designated for the event, and winning that game earns you the belt.

Fast-Break Highlights — Tournament matches decide the belt — you have to win your way through the bracket to the finals court. Shown at 00:45 in IGN’s video. Image: Play by Play Studios

You can run the tournament through any of the game’s Knockout modes:

Knockout Squads — you control one player on a three-person squad and fill out the roster with friends or other players.
Knockout Solos — assemble and command your own three-player squad in matches against other players.
Knockout Friends — a private tournament you set up, playing against AI, with friends, or against invited players.

Knockout Squads is the mode tied to the belt’s name, and it is the most direct route if you want to lift the Knock-Out Squads Champion belt exactly as it appears in the game.

Belt Showcase — The Knock-Out Squads Champion belt raised courtside — this is the reward you are chasing. Shown at 00:08 in IGN’s video. Image: Play by Play Studios

How to win the bracket

Enter a Run the World Tournament from your chosen Knockout mode. You start at the first of four rounds, so you need to keep winning to advance toward the finals court.

Win each match to move up the bracket. Wave One adjusts how the game plays with a goaltending nerf and new standing dunks, driving layups, and advanced moves, so squads built purely around blocking shots will need to adapt.

Drive Cam Feature — The new overhead Drive Cam follows drives into the lane, one of the fresh angles you can use across tournament matches. Shown at 00:37 in IGN’s video. Image: Play by Play Studios

Reach and win the championship game at one of the four finals courts. That final victory is the trigger for the belt and for the Run the World bragging rights that come with it.

How you know the belt is yours

After the championship game, the victory celebration plays out on the tournament court and your avatar and squad raise the Knock-Out Squads Champion belt overhead. That on-court celebration is the confirmation that the win registered and the belt is earned.

Champions Belt Celebration — The victory celebration on the tournament court, where your avatar lifts the belt — the sign your tournament win counted. Shown at 00:51 in IGN’s video. Image: Play by Play Studios

You can see the belt and the rest of Wave One in action in the update’s reveal trailer.

The short version: stays simple. Update the game on September 29, take a squad through the Run the World Tournament, and win the final. The belt is your reward for coming out on top, and since it lands free for everyone, the only cost is the run itself.