The Milwaukee Bucks triumphed in the second edition of the Emirates NBA Cup, defeating the OKC Thunder 97-81 in the Final to win the trophy. All players also received $500,000 for their win, which would be life-changing money for some players. Damian Lillard has one of the richest contracts in the NBA, so he revealed before the Final that he would use his prize money to support the Bucks’ training staff.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, so when I get it, I ain’t gonna just blow it or go crazy. It’ll probably go to the support staff, our training staff. The people who come in every day, all day, when we get to go home and try to do something to support them.”
"When I get it, I ain't gonna just blow it or go crazy. … [I'll give it] to the support staff, our training staff… do something to support them."
Damian Lillard on what he'll do with the $500,000 if the Bucks win the NBA Cup 💯pic.twitter.com/Z4yZ4Y7icw
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 17, 2024
This is an incredible gesture by Lillard, who will be able to provide the Bucks staff with a stocking stuffer one week ahead of Christmas with a potential cash bonus for the franchise winning the NBA Cup. Lillard has made $328.2 million over his career and is owed $112.5 million by the Bucks until 2027, so he would be happy to spend the $500K and uplift the unseen heroes of the Bucks instead of keeping it for himself.
The impact of the $500,000 prize money is mostly felt by the two-way players at the end of the bench who are just starting out their careers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo revealed how one of his motivations to win the NBA Cup was to ensure Bucks two-way signee Liam Robbins could use the prize money to buy a home in Iowa while also highlighting the importance of the prize.
“Some of my teammates got life-changing money. We had this joke within the team about or two-way guy Liam (Robbins) I promised him after the first Cup game, ‘We’re going to go all the way and we’re gonna get you a house in Iowa.’ So after every game, I’d be like, ‘One step closer to your house in Iowa!'”
“After the game, I went to the locker room and I saw smiles on their faces, and for me, the money does not matter to me… But I understand that it’s life-changing money for people. I’m happy that we’re able to give that to players within our team, not just players, but the coaching staff and the people who helped us win this. This is a great moment for the team.”
The NBA Cup prize money was supposed to encourage players to be competitive as half a million dollars individually is nothing to scoff at. With players on rookie minimums and two-way contracts, the prize money would be a huge bonus on top of their salary.
Taurean Prince is the only player to have already made a million dollars through NBA Cup prize money, winning $500,000 last season as a member of the Lakers as well.
Giannis himself has made $283.3 million over his career and is owed $175.3 million until 2028 by the Bucks, so half a million might not be the same motivation for him as the others, but at least he realized the value of that prize to his less-established teammates and put the team on his back to ensure they get what they deserve.
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