Lakers coach Darvin Ham suggests that NBA should increase prize money for In-Season Tournament champs

When the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver started talking about the first-ever In-Season Tournament, no one was too excited about it. The league had to devise both a marketing plan to make the experience unique, as well as a bonus structure so that teams and players would find the cup competitive enough to want to give it their all. 

Now that we’ve reached the competition’s final in Las Vegas, the franchises are well aware that not only glory is on the line, but also big money. Each player wins $500,000 for lifting the trophy, $200,000 for making the final, $100,000 for reaching the last four and $50,000 for those who made it until the quarterfinals.

However, Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham believes the amount of money offered to the athletes is still not enough, as he’s convinced that the secret to a future successful In-Season Tournament is to keep the players motivated.

Lakers News: Darvin Ham Suggests Increasing In-Season Tournament Purse For Players https://t.co/ELCJ61NzWi pic.twitter.com/0i8y2fcjM9

— LA Lakers News (@lakeshowonline) December 7, 2023

When asked about how the NBA could improve the competition for future editions, the trainer gave a direct response. “Yeah, add more money to the purse … Once I reflect, I’m sure I can come up with something, but right now just add more money to the purse,” he suggested.

Another idea that bounced around suggested the possibility of giving the winning team a playoff-seeding advantage of some sort. Ham wasn’t opposed to this idea, but insisted that money was the real issue.

“Possibly. Possibly that’s something definitely that should be looked at,” the Lakers coach added. “Maybe it’s some type of draft compensation as well as the purse, I don’t know, something like that. I think it would be cool. But if you want the players to play at an extremely high level, increase the purse.”

Before being eliminated, Bucks star Khris Middleton said he was more than happy with the proposed prize. “I’m sure the richest guy in the world would be happy to get $500,000,” he assured. “We’re all excited about that opportunity to get some extra cash.”

Ham also revealed that his squad’s young players have been extremely engaged on the bench during the In-Season competition

During these recent interviews, the Lakers coach did reveal that the younger core of his roster feels excited and engaged with the commotion surrounding the In-Season Tournament. Ham believes these contests are showing his rising stars what it means to succeed at the highest level.

“That’s the thing, the main key thing that they need to see as young, upcoming, potential regular pros, perennial pros I should say,” Darvin shared. “If they want to have any type of longevity in this business on the court, you first look at the effort that it takes, the competitive spirit of the guys that you look up to that necessarily don’t have to play that hard they think, just can rely on talent. Well, that’s not the case.”

The Lakers trainer also explained how the environment around the NBA’s newest competition has inspired an intense competitive spirit inside his team.

“This type of environment brings out your competitive spirit, and I think first and foremost — the money is great. We all laugh and joke about the money, and the money is always the focus. But really as a professional, you look at the approach, the mental approach, the competitive spirit, and again, the effort that’s given throughout the course of the game possession by possession,” he concluded.