After his team secured a spot for the in-season semifinals in Las Vegas, Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado gave the most wholesome reply possible when asked what he would do with the $500,000 prize money. "I ain’t going to see it. I promise. I ain’t going to touch it," he said. "A lot of people aren’t that fortunate, but I am. I just want this game to keep me blessed and I don’t want my kids to worry about nothing.”
It was a humble and very wholesome answer that most fans applauded in the comments. But Knicks forward Josh Hart took a different approach with this quote Tweet.
Josh Hart isn't typically the one to take a dig at his fellow player like this, especially one who is just trying to do right by his family. But he is one to make a joke of the situation, and that's exactly what he's done here. As a former Pelicans player himself, Josh knows Alvarado personally having been his teammate for a short while a few years ago. But whether Josh was joking or not, it didn't stop the fans from flooding the comments with all sorts of wild statements.
NBA Fans Can't Believe Their Eyes
Social media can be a pretty wild place, and that's especially true for professional athletes. In these modern times, players must always be careful with what they are posting online, as any controversial statement, written or otherwise, can spark widespread outrage. Kyrie Irving is probably the biggest example of this, considering the scandal that broke out when he allegedly posted an "anti-Semitic" documentary on his profile.
While this situation isn't nearly as extreme, fans were still shocked and appalled to see Hart talking this way for a guy who is doing right by his family.
Some fans theorized that Hart meant to post this from his burner account, but the fact that he hasn't yet deleted the message is proof that it's likely just an inside joke.
One user even joked that Josh's wild tweets are what's causing all of the former players to go broke after retirement.
While it has made for a fun and engaging social media moment, there is a bigger conversation to be had here. Coming into the in-season event, there were a lot of questions about player incentives and whether or not the $500,000 cash prize would make any difference in the intensity of the games. So far, the results have been pretty encouraging.
In-Season Cash Prize Is Up For Grabs
While the rules are subject to change moving forward, the in-season tournament this year will end with the winning team getting $500,000 for each player and coach. For the mega stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Nikola Jokic, this won't mean very much but for the role-players, two-way guys, and minimum contract veterans, it could make a huge difference for their earnings.
Already, we are seeing the tournament carry a higher level of intensity in the games and multiple players have come out to express their goal of cashing in on the opportunity. So, for now, we can chalk up this in-season tournament event as a major win for the NBA and that's before we see the grand finale, which takes place later this week.
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