Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers were unable to escape the group stage of the Emirates NBA Cup. This season, however, JJ Redick has led this team to a 3-0 start and with their victory over the L.A. Clippers on Tuesday night, the Lakers clinched Group B and a spot in the knockout round.
When the NBA first announced the creation of the NBA Cup, many were curious as to how the league could make this in-season tournament meaningful for those participating in it. Some already feel the regular season is too long and getting players and coaches to really care about this could be difficult.
But when it comes to Redick, the extra motivation for winning this NBA Cup is one that would be the case for anyone in any walk of life: money.
“I really enjoyed it as a broadcaster, covering it, talking about it,” Redick said of the Emirates NBA Cup. “Didn’t get an opportunity to compete for the cup last year, so we’re excited. I mean, $53,000 is a lot of money. It just is. So I’m sure there’s some extra motivation. Coaches get to split a share, I think the head coach might get a full share, I don’t know. So it’s motivation, for sure.”
No matter what someone does for a living, the opportunity to win money is always a motivating factor and that goes for NBA players and coaches. Simply put, you can never have too much money and the chance to get more is a surefire way to ensure people give their best effort.
The money split may not seem like a huge amount for those superstars who make hundreds of millions of dollars, but not everyone is at that level. For two-way contract players and end of the bench guys making the minimum, not to mention assistant coaches who don’t have big money contracts, this bonus is massive and securing that money for them can also become a huge motivation for the rest of the team.
Lakers star Luka Doncic hopes NBA addresses slippery NBA Cup courts
One thing the NBA has done in trying to differentiate the NBA Cup games from standard regular season games is by changing the aesthetic of the courts. Each team has a specially designed court that really stands out, but apparently these courts have created some issues with players slipping far more than normal. This is something that Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has taken notice of and he hopes the league will address it soon.
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