The NBA Cup prize money is split into a tiered bonus pool that increases as the team moves on through the knockout rounds; in the most recent edition of the NBA Cup (December 2025), the champion team won $530,933 per player, compared to $500,000 in the inaugural season of the Cup. The exact dollar amounts change a bit each year, but the brackets below the dollars have remained the same.
If the only thing you're concerned with is the trophy, here's what you need to know about the bonus pool, who's winning it and where to find the latest numbers for the current season.
In one line: The NBA cup prize money is distributed by player, not by team, with the top players on the NBA championship team receiving the biggest payments, and the second and third teams in the NBA finals receiving progressively smaller payments, though the exact dollar value has been adjusted by the league over the years. This remainder of this page completes the confirmed and not yet confirmed.
Groups are not a payout condition, only teams that advance to the knockout stage are eligible for a payout. The players on that roster always get a larger bonus when they go further and further.
The bonus pool is shared in 4 divisions that are directly related to the team's knockout run. According to Front Office Sports and red94.net, here's the confirmed per-player breakdown from the most recently completed Tournament (December 2025, which the New York Knicks won over the San Antonio Spurs):
| Result | Per-player bonus (2025) |
| Champion | $530,933 |
| Runner-up | $212,373 |
| Semifinalist | $106,187 |
| Quarterfinal loser | $53,093 |
That is up from the tournament's debut in 2023, when the top winners were reportedly earning $30,933 more per player, which is due to the tournament adjusting for the CBA's rules on the basketball income. Two-way players are eligible for half the normal payout, due to their less extensive involvement in group-play games.
Just to give perspective on the significance of this number to different players: For someone who only makes a minimum salary, the champion bonus is about a 42% increase on a full season's salary, while for a tens of millions-of-dollar-per-year max-contract player, it wouldn't be worth that much compared to a game check.
The above figures are based on the tournament that ended in December 2025, though the exact figures for the current cycle (which ended in December 2026) have yet to be confirmed, and are usually not made public until near the knockout rounds. Keep in mind that this is in line with the trend from year to year, so if the league confirms it, then count on $530,933 for last season, but don't assume it's what it is this year until the league updates the figure.
The prize money is distributed to players that are on the team's roster, not to the team as a whole. That's important because the Cup has real significance for the players, even in a mid-season game most people saw as less than serious. If the bonus is that large, and it is given out on a per-player basis, then it means that each rostered player on a knockout team has some personal financial motivation to keep the run going, which is distinct from any regular-season or playoff playoff related incentive.
There is a separate MVP for the Cup game, which is not connected to the regular season or Finals' MVP in June. LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jalen Brunson are the three-time tournament hosts who are on the winning side of the star, and it's a good thing he is.
Prize money explains what players are chasing — for bettors, the equivalent is finding value on a licensed, reliable platform before the knockout stage even begins. Sports OKBet is built for exactly that.
The knockout stage is no longer a trophy hunt, but a real prize money victory — although the amount of money may vary from year to year — that gets bigger with each win. Before picking a certain amount, verify the confirmed payouts for the season and, if you're playing a team, choose a platform that offers a license for players from the Philippines. Follow the live odds of NBA Cup races on Sports OKBet and follow the bonus race with the bracket.
The top prize in this most recent tournament (December 2025) was $530,933 for the champion-roster players; in the Cup's first season, in 2023, the top prize was $500,000. The exact amount of this year's cycle has not yet been released, so the figure of $530,933 is the most up-to-date confirmed amount, not this year's.
Individual players. The incentives don't go to the team as a whole; each player on a qualifying team gets his/her own prize based on the team's level of success.
No — only teams who advance to the knockout stage get a share of the bonus. Being in the group stage doesn't guarantee a winning team a pay-out, as they must progress through the group stage.
It is an independent award for the MVP of the championship game, in addition to the regular season MVP and NBA Finals MVP awards. LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jalen Brunson, have all won it by winning the team title.
Yes, semi-finalist rosters had a payment of $106,187 per player in the tournament this year, which was one level below the amount for the runners-up. Even in the quarter final round, the smallest round of the four, players who did not advance were still awarded $53,093 apiece.
No. The format of Tiered winners, runners-up, semi-final, quarter-final loser with the corresponding amount of dollars given to the winners have remained the same, but the dollar values have increased over the years, from $500,000 per player for the 2023 champion to $530,933 for the 2025 champion.
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