We’re now in Yr Three of the NBA Cup, which suggests most individuals now have not less than a obscure concept of the way it works. The NBA picks teams out of a Sorting Hat, each workforce in these teams performs video games in opposition to each other, and the six group winners and two wild playing cards advance to the knockout stage, the place greater than $500,000 is on the road for each participant on the workforce that wins the Cup.
Whereas LeBron James was motivated to make historical past within the inaugural NBA Cup, most gamers’ curiosity within the Cup largely revolves across the cash. That prize is successfully a rounding error for the highest-paid superstars within the league, nevertheless it’s life-changing cash for second-round picks, undrafted free brokers and gamers on two-way contracts.
Gamers across the league haven’t been shy about admitting that, both.
With that in thoughts, we’ve highlighted the NBA’s greatest Cup RespectersTM.
Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves have but to make it previous the round-robin stage of the Cup. They had been tied with the Phoenix Suns at 3-1 in 2023-24 for the wild-card spot, however the Suns beat them on level differential (plus-34 to plus-30).
The Timberwolves bought off to a powerful begin this 12 months by annihilating the Utah Jazz, 137-97. After the sport, Jaden McDaniels stated he and his teammates are intent on making the knockout stage this 12 months.
Go get that cash, Jaden.
Cole Anthony, Milwaukee Bucks
That is some absolute sicko conduct from Cole Anthony.
Just like the Timberwolves, the Magic additionally missed out on a spot within the knockout spherical in 2023-24 due to level differential. Orlando, Boston and Brooklyn all completed tied atop Group C at 3-1, however the Celtics gained the group due to their plus-27 level differential. The Magic (plus-22) and Nets (plus-20) had been no match for the New York Knicks’ plus-42 differential for the wild-card spot.
Anthony is clearly nonetheless scarred by that.
“I’m like, ‘Yo, that is some B.S.,’” he instructed reporters forward of the Bucks’ first Cup sport this 12 months. “Messin’ with my cash.”
The Bucks bought off to a powerful begin in pool play this 12 months with a 126-110 win over the Chicago Bulls. Nonetheless, powerful video games nonetheless loom in opposition to the New York Knicks and Miami Warmth, each of that are on the highway.
Anthony’s previous expertise with the Magic may make him a useful locker-room presence because the Bucks look to defend their Cup title this 12 months.
“You gotta take a look at all of it by way of the identical (lens), ‘trigger we will say ‘Oh, it’s not that critical proper now’ and lay an egg and , knock on wooden, lose a sport, and we is perhaps out and never even in rivalry for the remainder of the (pool play),” Anthony instructed reporters. “We would not also have a likelihood to qualify. I feel we simply gotta take this sport very significantly.”
Jaylin Williams, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder
The Thunder got here up brief within the Cup last final 12 months in opposition to the Bucks, which value them roughly $300,000 per participant. One participant specifically may need taken that the toughest.
Because the Thunder made their run to the ultimate, a number of gamers stated Jaylin Williams—the No. 34 general choose within the 2022 draft—was motivating their locker room.
“J-Will has been adamant about successful the cash,” Jalen Williams instructed reporters after the Thunder clinched Group B final 12 months. “So doing it for J-Will.”
“J-Will is much less into the eventualities and extra into the cash,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added. “He simply made positive throughout the locker room, we understood how vital this sport was, basically in a nutshell, all day and each likelihood he bought.”
J-Will successfully confirmed what his teammates stated with one easy emoji.
Though the Thunder didn’t win the Cup final 12 months, every participant did reportedly earn $828,000 for successful the NBA championship, in line with Kurt Badenhausen and Lev Akabas of Sportico. Williams additionally landed a three-year, $24 million contract this previous offseason, so not less than the Thunder bought him some further Lamborghini cash both manner.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Not like J-Will, the NBA Cup’s prize fund isn’t a serious incentive for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has practically $340 million in profession on-court earnings alone. Nonetheless, he acknowledges the affect that it might probably have on his teammates and other people across the Milwaukee Bucks group.
“The cash doesn’t matter to me,” he instructed reporters final 12 months after the Bucks gained the NBA Cup. “It by no means mattered. If it mattered to me, I wouldn’t be who I’m, I wouldn’t carry on pushing myself to the restrict to enhance each single 12 months.
“However, I perceive that that is life-changing cash to individuals. I’m completely satisfied we’re in a position to give that to loads of gamers inside our workforce and never simply gamers—the teaching employees, physios and those that helped us win this trophy. This can be a nice second for the workforce.”
It was a very massive deal to Liam Robbins, one of many Bucks’ two-way gamers final 12 months. Gamers on two-way contracts earned roughly $580,000 in whole final 12 months, however the two-way gamers on the Bucks additionally took dwelling an additional $257,000 for successful the Cup.
“We now have this joke inside the workforce about our two-way man Liam,” Antetokounmpo stated. “I promised him from the primary Cup sport, I stated, ‘We’re going to go all the way in which and also you’re going to get your home in Iowa.’ So after each sport I used to be like, ‘One step nearer to your home in Iowa!’
“After the sport, we went to the locker room and I noticed smiles on their face.”
The Greek Freak wasn’t kidding, both.
Kyle Kuzma, Milwaukee Bucks
Kyle Kuzma didn’t arrive in Milwaukee till after their Cup championship, so he missed out on the $500,000 payday final 12 months. Nonetheless, simply being round a bunch of Cup champions has clearly taught him the worth of the Cup.
“Being right here, clearly successful final 12 months, and simply each sport we come and attempt to win and I feel that you simply rise up a bit bit for it,” Kuzma instructed reporters after the Bucks’ win over the Bulls within the first sport of group play this 12 months. “You undoubtedly rise up, and because the years have gone, I can undoubtedly see the significance of it since you want these kind of video games all year long simply to meet that aggressive a part of your soul.”
No point out of cash? Only a want to “fulfill the aggressive a part of your soul” with a regular-season sport that has further stakes? Now that is a real Cup Respecter.
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
The inaugural NBA Cup in 2023-24 wound up being a launching pad for Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers.
Regardless of lacking the playoffs the earlier season, the upstart Pacers stormed by way of group play with an undefeated report. They proceeded to beat the Boston Celtics (who wound up successful the NBA championship later that season) and the Bucks (whom they’d eradicate within the playoffs later that season) earlier than assembly LeBron and the Lakers within the Cup Remaining. Though they fell brief there, they traded for Pascal Siakam one month later, superior to the Jap Convention Finals that season, and got here inside one sport of successful the NBA championship this previous 12 months.
Whereas the NBA Cup doesn’t deserve all the credit score for the Pacers’ current success, that run did give Haliburton his first actual style of playoff-caliber basketball.
“The in-season event might be the primary time that I’m actually competing to win a championship on the NBA degree,” Haliburton instructed ESPN’s Tim Bontemps in November 2023. “I’ve by no means made the playoffs or something, so proper right here it provides me the possibility to have the ability to try this, and that’s thrilling for me.
“There’s undoubtedly some extra juice to these video games, and it’s thrilling. It’s an thrilling time for the league and , I feel we’re all attempting to push the in-season event to be an even bigger factor as a result of everyone needs there to be some which means to it.”
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle instructed Bontemps that “alternatives to be on extra significant levels is one thing that’s vital for younger groups.” The Pacers’ entrance workplace may need been emboldened to take a danger like buying and selling for Siakam upon seeing Haliburton lead the workforce on such an unexpectedly deep run within the Cup.
“Guys would possibly suppose, ‘Oh, the season’s lengthy. If we lose this one, we’re OK.’ However I feel there’s some heightened juice to that to be like, ‘No, no, no. Yeah, the season’s lengthy. However we wish this sport, we wish it now,’” Haliburton instructed Bontemps. “I’ve been loving that facet of the in-season event. It’s been loads of enjoyable.”
Dishonorable Point out: Doc Rivers, Milwaukee Bucks
Whereas a number of present members of the Bucks have clear reverence for the Cup, head coach Doc Rivers doesn’t seem to really feel the identical manner.
He additionally practically dropped the Cup trophy after the Bucks gained final 12 months.
The Bucks proceeded to lose within the first spherical of the playoffs and spent a whole offseason coping with hypothesis about Giannis’ long-term future in Milwaukee, in case you don’t imagine in karma from the basketball gods.
