Emirates NBA Cup Prize 2024: Details of winning amount, prize boost & more 

The second Emirates NBA Cup, formerly known as the NBA In-Season Tournament, is underway. All 30 teams now have the opportunity to battle for extra money and bragging rights in the regular season. Last year's Cup was quite a blur given it was the inaugural tournament. But after witnessing what transpired last season, everyone now has a better grasp of what's about to take place.

USA TODAY's NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt, explained on X/Twitter what's at stake for this year's Cup. The prize pool this season has reportedly increased due to prize money being tied to the growth of basketball-related income.

Zillgitt revealed how much each player would win depending on how deep their teams would go into the tournament.

Here's a full breakdown:

• Players on the winning team of the championship: $514,970 each (formerly $500,000)
• Players on the losing team of the championship: $205,988 each (formerly $200,000)
• Players on the losing team of the semifinals: $102,994 each (formerly $100,000)
• Players on the losing team of quarterfinals: $51,497 each (formerly $50,000)

Now with a better understanding of how the Cup works, teams are likely to take the games more seriously with more elite teams going full throttle.

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Looking back at the Inaugural NBA Cup

In Season Tournament-Indiana Pacers at Los Angeles Lakers (Image Source: IMAGN)

The first-ever In-Season Tournament was one for the record books with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the first trophy. The Purple and Gold achieved In-Season supremacy against the Indiana Pacers.

Heading into the tournament's final games, the Pacers were ready to shock the world as they dethroned some of the elite teams in the league last season. However, their lack of experience came into play as the Lakers dominated the young Indiana group in the end.

Anthony Davis carried LA to their first Cup win and made history by becoming the first-ever champions. Davis had a masterful performance with 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Despite his efforts, Commissioner Adam Silver named LeBron James as the tournament's MVP. Against Indiana, James registered 24 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Austin Reaves also played a prominent role in the Lakers' title win as he added 28 points, three assists and two rebounds.

Now that the league seemingly has a better understanding of how the tournament works, it'll be interesting to see if more elite teams would push for deep runs in the Cup.