LAS VEGAS — The Milwaukee Bucks are celebrating after securing their place in the NBA Cup championship game, with excitement bubbling among the team’s younger and less experienced players in the locker room. This upcoming opportunity not only represents the chance to win a coveted trophy, but it is also a potential catalyst for their biggest financial gains in their careers. The Bucks will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the final, scheduled for Tuesday in Las Vegas, where each winning player will receive an extra $308,983 in prize money.
For star players in the league, this figure could seem like a typical game-day pay or perhaps even half of it. However, for a substantial portion of the roster, this is a considerable amount of money. Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is under a contract worth approximately $48.8 million this season, admits to considering financial implications, especially when reflecting on the younger players. “I try not to think about the money… but I think about the money when we talk about the young guys,” he noted.
If successful on Tuesday, players with standard NBA contracts could take home a total of $514,971 from the league’s Cup prize pool. Conversely, those from the losing team will receive $205,988 each, while players under two-way contracts will receive half of those amounts. On the Thunder roster, two-way player Ajay Mitchell, earning a salary of $578,577, would typically average about $7,056 per game, but he stands to gain significantly more, regardless of the game’s outcome. “Obviously, there’s a lot of money on the line,” Mitchell said, emphasizing that winning is his primary focus despite the monetary incentive.
The NBA Cup includes a structured prize pool designed to motivate players at various levels. Teams that were eliminated in the semifinals, such as Atlanta and Houston, provided their players with a payout of $102,994 each, whereas players from the quarterfinal exiters—New York, Orlando, Golden State, and Dallas—received $51,497 each. Knicks forward Josh Hart humorously remarked that he might buy a new watch with his bonus, albeit not entirely serious, expressing a more self-centered perspective: “I don’t really care about the young guys getting money. I only care about me, what I’m going to spend.”
Among the players participating in the final, the disparity in earnings is stark. For Antetokounmpo and teammates like Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez—alongside Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Hartenstein—the paycheck from the win could feel insignificant compared to their average earning of about $443,300 per game. Nevertheless, the financial boost from the Cup could still be life-altering for the majority of players on both teams.
Thunder forward Jalen Williams reflected on the varied financial situations within the league, noting that the stakes are higher for some players. “Not everybody gets the same paycheck in the NBA,” he stated. “So, obviously, that money is a bigger deal for some people than others — so we definitely play for that.” Bucks reserve A.J. Green, set to earn around $2.1 million this season, expressed astonishment at the thought of enhancing his income by $500,000 for one game. “It is crazy,” he commented, though he emphasized that it shouldn’t change one’s effort on the court.
Bobby Portis of the Bucks, who plays with relentless energy regardless of the context, recognizes the unique opportunity presented by the Cup. Coming from Little Rock, Arkansas, where the average household income is around $60,000 and poverty affects many, Portis is acutely aware of his fortune, stating, “It’ll take guys a lifetime to make $500,000 where I’m from.”
Both Green and Mitchell detailed their plans for any potential bonus, with Green mentioning charity contributions and savings, while Mitchell intends to save his earnings. Antetokounmpo, whose contracts accumulated over his career totaled approximately $460 million before future deals are considered, noted the life-changing potential of the prize. He emphasized the significant impact $500,000 could have, describing it as “life-changing money” that could fund down payments for homes. “It really means a lot to everybody — because it’s a lot of money,” he concluded, showcasing the profound importance of this moment for all players involved.
