NBA in-season tournament prizes: Money, awards, explained
NBA in-season tournament prizes: Money, awards, explained
The NBA in-season tournament has been a certified success in its first year. The tournament featured multiple phases, starting with group play games baked into the regular season, then quarterfinals matchups hosted at the higher seeds’ home arena, and concluding with the final four teams going to Las Vegas for the semifinals and championship.
There’s not just grabbing rights on the line as the in-season tournament reaches its conclusion: there’s also money up for grabs. Players and coaches are competing for cash prizes based on how far their teams make it in the tournament. The NBA is also naming an MVP, and giving out First-Team All-Tournament honors.
The league wanted to incentivize teams to avoid resting players during the tournament with the prizes. Load management has been a hot topic around the NBA for a decade at this point, but the in-season tournament saw increased competitiveness from the very start with all 30 teams eligible to win it. Before the championship game between the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, here’s a breakdown of the purse.
NBA in-tournament prize money
Every player on the roster for the champion of the in-season tournament will receive a $500K bonus. Reach the champion game and lose? That’s a $200K bonus. Players get $100K for reaching for the semifinals, and $50K for reaching the quarterfinals. The only exception is for two-way players, who receive half as much as players on the main roster.
The head coach will also receive the same bonuses as the players, according to ESPN. Assistant coaches will split a pool that’s 75 percent of the coach’s total.
NBA in-season tournament awards
The NBA is giving out a championship trophy for the team that wins the in-season tournament. That trophy is called the NBA Cup.
The tournament will also name an MVP. Here’s what the championship trophy and MVP trophy look like:
The league will also an all-tournament team.
Lakers vs. Pacers in-season tournament championship: Date, TV time, streaming, and more
The Los Angeles Lakers face the Indiana Pacers in the in-season tournament championship on Saturday, Dec. 9. Here’s how you can watch:
Date: Dec. 9
Start time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Streaming: WatchESPN