Even more money motivates NBA giants for new competition
Off to Las Vegas: Four basketball teams are playing in the dazzling metropolis for their first cup victory. The players' reactions fluctuate between enthusiasm and ignorance. World champion Schröder thinks: "I think the NBA is building something great."
Dennis Schröder is already excited about the upcoming basketball show in Las Vegas. Yet the world champion and his Toronto Raptors didn't even qualify for it. "I think it's cool because I'm a soccer fan and grew up with cup competitions like the DFB Cup or the FA Cup. I think the NBA is building something great," said Schröder.
Two semi-finals and a final at a dazzling venue, plenty of star power, lots of celebrities in the stands and hefty financial incentives: this is the concept with which the best basketball league in the world intends to celebrate the first staging of the newly introduced cup competition at the weekend. "The fact that the Final Four is in Las Vegas is also cool," said Schröder on Spox.
"Are we getting money now?"
The fact that superstars such as LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) as well as huge talents such as Zion Williamson from the New Orleans Pelicans and Tyrese Haliburton from the Indiana Pacers are taking part with their teams in Vegas should please NBA boss Adam Silver. The players themselves, on the other hand, are not really familiar with the procedure surrounding the so-called In-Season Tournament.
When Antetokounmpo entered the Final Four with his Bucks on Tuesday evening, he was surprised by the consequences. "Do we get money now? We're getting money?" asked the Greek, who is earning 45.64 million US dollars this season. In his typically dry manner, he finally stated: "The rich are getting richer." All players on the winning team receive a whopping 500,000 dollars, with slightly less for reaching the final and semi-finals. For Antetokounmpo, that's peanuts. Some of the substitutes, on the other hand, were noticeably more emotional during the tournament.
Colorful courts are not enough of an incentive
The NBA is borrowing from European sport with the new format, which offers a second trophy to be won alongside the championship. "The origin of the idea was global soccer and the realization that there is currently a tradition, especially outside of the United States, where there are other trophies and competitions during a season besides winning the championship," explained league boss Silver. In addition to world champion captain Schröder, the other Germans around high-flyer Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic) also failed to qualify for the final weekend.
Another goal of the league was to upgrade an 82-game season, which in principle was and is just the month-long prelude to the playoffs that follow. Now the first cup is already in December and not just in June. But it wasn't enough for the basketball stars with a sometimes complicated mode, colorfully painted courts and the prospect of silverware.
They needed additional motivation: money. Milwaukee's star player Khris Middleton admits this openly. "I'm absolutely sure: the richest person in the world would be happy to get 500,000 dollars. We're all eager to get this opportunity for some extra money." In return, the NBA gets knockout duels like James against Kevin Durant in an otherwise rather tepid phase of the season - as well as a special finale with three games in Las Vegas.
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Source: www.ntv.de
