The NBA Cup has quickly become a exciting new part of the basketball calendar, creating a playoff-like atmosphere in the middle of the regular season. As teams battle for the trophy, a common question arises about the traditional symbol of NBA success. Fans are left wondering what kind of hardware comes with this new victory.

Do NBA Cup Winners Receive Championship Rings?

No, players on the winning team do not receive championship rings for winning the NBA Cup. The league intentionally chose a different reward to distinguish the tournament victory from the ultimate prize of an NBA Finals championship. This decision helps maintain the unique status of the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

The NBA’s head of on-court and brand partnerships explained the reasoning behind this choice. Christopher Arena stated, “We don’t do medals typically in the NBA — players get rings. So our thought was: how do we sort of separate this because, in theory, there’s only one ring: the one you get when you win the Larry O’Brien.” This separation preserves the special meaning of earning a championship ring.

The design of the NBA Cup itself reflects this distinction. While the Larry O’Brien Trophy is entirely gold and silver, the NBA Cup incorporates black ceramic into its design. The trophy also features a half-cup or half-ball shape, symbolizing that it represents an in-season achievement rather than the complete season championship.

What Do NBA Cup Winners Get Instead of Rings?

Players on the championship team each receive a custom-designed medal for winning the NBA Cup. Artist Victor Solomon crafted these medals, which feature the title “NBA In-Season Tournament Champions” on the front, along with the year of victory. The back of the medal displays a silhouette of the NBA Cup surrounded by tournament brackets.

Each winning player also receives a significant cash bonus of $514,970. This financial incentive is particularly meaningful for players on rookie contracts or minimum salaries. For example, a player earning less than $1 million annually would see their income increase by over 50% with this bonus, while for superstars it represents less than one game’s pay.

The tournament’s most valuable player receives the NBA In-Season Tournament MVP Trophy, designed by Tiffany & Co. in collaboration with Solomon. Media members also select an All-Tournament Team, with each of the five selected players receiving a unique prize: a 20-pound black crystal basketball with gold lines and a bracket design.

How Is the NBA Cup Different from the NBA Finals Championship?

The NBA Cup is a single-elimination tournament that occurs during the regular season, while the NBA Finals crown the overall league champion after a best-of-seven series. The In-Season Tournament games count toward the regular season record until the championship game, which stands alone as an 83rd game for the two finalists.

The physical trophies represent different levels of achievement. The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy is the ultimate goal every team pursues throughout the season. Meanwhile, the NBA Cup trophy stands 23 inches tall to honor the tournament’s inaugural year in 2023 and weighs 35 pounds to symbolize the three groups of five teams in each conference during pool play.

The schedule impact also differs significantly. NBA Cup finalists face the unusual challenge of playing an extra game that other teams don’t have. As Thunder coach Mark Daigneault noted, the schedule coming out of the tournament creates an unprecedented challenge that the league would normally never schedule for any team.

What Did Players and Coaches Say About Winning the NBA Cup?

Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers highlighted how different players value the tournament for different reasons. He observed, “It’s funny, a lot of people say it’s the money, and it’s not; it’s the competition. Now, the guys who aren’t playing, it’s the money. You know, I’ve never been hugged more by our rookies in my life than after that game.”

Some former players have been less enthusiastic about the tournament’s significance. Five-time NBA champion Ron Harper expressed strong disapproval when shown the Lakers’ perfect record in NBA Cup games, simply stating, “No real fans care!!!!” This perspective represents the traditional view that only the NBA championship truly matters.

Current players see practical benefits beyond the trophy itself. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander valued the playoff-like intensity, noting, “Obviously, a little bit more is at stake where if you lose you go home, but games like that are good experience for us, especially with where we want to end up.” This experience provides crucial preparation for the actual playoffs.