Details on NBA Cup prize money for 2024

The prize money for the players whose teams advance to the knockout round of the NBA Cup (in-season tournament) has increased in the event's second year. According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, the prize money for 2024 is as follows:

• Players on the team that wins the NBA Cup: $514,970 apiece
• Players on the team that loses the NBA Cup final: $205,988 apiece
• Players on the two teams that lose in the NBA Cup semifinals: $102,994 apiece
• Players on the four teams that lose in the NBA Cup quarterfinals: $51,497 apiece

When the Lakers won the inaugural in-season tournament in 2023, those figures were $500K, $200K, $100K and $50K, respectively. The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for the prize money to increase annually at the same rate that the league’s basketball-related income (BRI) grows. Based on the new amounts reported by Zillgitt, that growth was just under 3%.

A player on a standard contract whose team makes the knockout round of the event will earn a full bonus share, while a player on a two-way deal receives a half share. That means the two-way players on this year’s NBA Cup champion will claim bonuses of $257,485 each.

While these bonuses are a drop in the bucket for the league’s highest-paid players, they represent a significant raise for players earning the minimum or close to it. Last season, there were seven Lakers players (including two-ways) for whom the NBA Cup bonus money increased their yearly earnings by more than 20%.