As the LA Lakers continue to struggle to gain momentum in the young NBA season, there seemed to be one motivation that kept pushing the players to do their best on court: the $500,000 cash prize.
In-season tournament’s incentive
This season, the NBA came dressed in a brand new format as it incorporated an ‘in-season tournament’ that consists of group stages and knockout rounds. And while some players and, well, let’s admit it, many of us, are still somehow confused by the concept, one thing is clear: there’s a hefty cash prize waiting for those who win the in-season tournament.
$500,000 is a lot, and even the richest players can’t seem to ignore the over-the-top incentive. According to Forbes, the average salary nationwide in the US is $59,428, which means that the prize is worth more than eight years of regular work. But for a basketball player, it will only take a few weeks to earn it.
Of course, the road to get there will be fairly hard, as the teams have gotten a lot more competitive and passionate these days. A few weeks into the season, and we’ve already witnessed a lot of records being broken. Older numbers are sent into oblivion as newer numbers eclipse them.
LA Lakers: Cash Prize
And while we’re teetering on a new era of basketball, the LA Lakers are currently set on one thing, and one thing only, the cash prize.
Earlier this week, both LeBron James and Anthony Davis outrightly expressed their desire to clinch the prize.
“It feels great because it’s an In-Season Tournament win, we’ll take that, we’ll take that for sure. I heard there’s $500,000 on the line, so we’re going for that,” Lebron James said in an interview with ESPN.
“$500 [thousand] sound real good to us. It’s going to bring that juice,” Anthony Davis said in front of the media.
The Lakers are using the $500K per player prize as one of their motivators for the In-Season Tournament.
A Lakers player: “Man,’ when we beat Phoenix, ‘That’s one step closer to this $500K. I’ve never had that before.”
(via @mcten) pic.twitter.com/p0GANXNchl
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 15, 2023
AD also added that one of the players on the team had expressed his enthusiasm after the team’s victory over the Phoenix, noting that they had now moved a step closer to achieving their goal of reaching the five hundred thousand dollars.
Cover Photo: IG