JR Smith’s hilarious NBA Cup bonus admission

Each of the players on the NBA Cup-winning team this year would actually get a little more than $500,000. The winning team’s players stand to pocket a dizzying total of $514,971.

The NBA Cup is far from a prestigious tournament yet, given that it is only in its second year of existence. However, the money seems good enough to motivate players to take November and December games more seriously. Even if the losing team in the NBA Cup Championship game will still walk home with a large sum of $205,988 each. Those who were eliminated in the quarterfinals portion of the tournament get $51,497 while teams who made it to the semifinals have players guaranteed at least $102,994.

Going back to Smith, his candid answer about his idea of spending half a million dollars in prizes for winning the NBA’s in-season tournament is something that can be said to be expected from him. He was always an interesting player with his wild ways and off the court during his playing days. For what it’s worth, during his NBA career that spanned 16 years, Smith collected over $90 million of earnings in salaries alone.

Bucks, Thunder to duel in 2024 NBA Cup Championship game

The Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Thunder are the last two teams left standing in the 2024 NBA Cup tournament. The Bucks went undefeated in Group B with a 4-0 record . They defeated the Orlando Magic in the quarterfinals before taking down the Atlanta Hawks in the semis to earn a spot in the championship game.

The Thunder, on the other hand, topped Group B with a 3-1 record. Oklahoma City took down Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in the quarterfinals then blew out the Houston Rockets in the semifinals portion of the tourney.

The NBA Cup Championship game between the Bucks and the Thunder will take place this Tuesday at t T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 8:30 p.m. ET.