LAS VEGAS – LeBron James promised to get his three Los Angeles Lakers teammates on two-way contracts paid before departing from the locker room to play in the championship game of the NBA’s in-season tournament.
While James won just a fraction of his nearly $50 million salary for beating the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the championship on Saturday, the bonuses for winning offered a tremendous boost to several teammates who barely played or didn’t play at all.
“I knew LeBron was going to do it. He told me before the game and said, ‘This is for you [Alex] Fudge. This is for you for D’Moi [Hodge]. This is for everybody,” Fudge, a Lakers forward on a two-way contract to play offense and defense, told Andscape after the game. “I trusted him and now we’re here. Just knowing that he is thinking about us is a blessing. Not too many people are like that. That just says who LeBron is.”
Said Hodge, a rookie guard on a two-way deal: “He told the rookies, ‘I got y’all. Don’t even worry about it.’ ”
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On July 8, the NBA announced the debut of the in-season tournament for all 30 teams for the 2023-24 season. After four games in pool play, a knockout round and the semifinals, two teams remained to play in the championship game on Dec. 9. Lakers full-time roster players netted $500,000 each while Pacers full-time players netted $200,000 each for second place. Lakers two-way players received $250,000.
With money on the line, the NBA got early buy-in on the in-season tournament from James, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard, 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero and more. New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, who won $100,000 as a semifinalist, planned on using the money he won to open a money market account for his three daughters.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he was a “bit surprised” that stars expressed excitement about the potential prize winnings.
“Only because there were a lot of cynics out there,” Silver said before the championship game. “Put aside the whole concept of the tournament, but a lot of people thought that the money would not make a difference to the players. I would only say it was nice to see that dynamic on a team where you have, obviously, a significant differential in some cases in terms of what some of the stars are making and some of the other players, and it was nice to hear the stars saying it’s still a lot of money for anyone, but it’s a lot more money proportionately for some of my teammates, and the notion that I’m doing it for them is a nice concept in a team sport. And even for those wealthier players, it’s still a lot of money.
“So, I’m pleasantly surprised that guys are not dismissing it and saying this isn’t something real. And look, this is a business. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with money being a motivator in certain cases.”
James was named the 2023 NBA in-season tournament MVP after logging 24 points and 11 rebounds in the title game. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is making $47 million during his 20th NBA season, has made $434 million in his career and is reportedly a billionaire. James told Malika Andrews, host of NBA Today on ESPN, during the trophy ceremony that part of his motivation was winning money for the players on the team who do not have notable salaries.
Second-year Lakers guard Max Christie played a reserve role, scoring two points in 19 minutes. The $500,000 prize had a major impact on Christie, who is making $1.7 million this season. As Christie reflected on his winnings, Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s “Get Money” and Tory Lanez’s “Broke in a Minute” was playing in the Lakers’ locker room.
“To be the first-ever champion of the in-season tournament champion, to me, that means more,” Christie told Andscape. “Don’t get me wrong, the money is in the back of everyone’s mind. But to be the very first to win the trophy feels good.”
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The lowest full-time roster salary is held by rookie forward Maxwell Lewis at $1.1 million. Lewis, who played one minute on Saturday, said the Lakers gained much-needed camaraderie during the in-season tournament that he believes will boost the team. The rookie who played for Pepperdine University also said having a money carrot dangling in front of him as motivation during the tournament certainly helped, too.
“Obviously, [James] doesn’t need it. Just him wanting to do it and helping us out because we’re the young guys is a blessing … What I learned about this environment is that when money is on the line, it is much more serious,” Lewis told Andscape.
Lakers forward Fudge, guard Hodge and center Colin Castleton, possibly three of the happiest players in the locker room, may not even be familiar to many of their fans. As two-way players this season, their salaries are $559,782 each.
“The $250,000 is better than nothing,” Fudge said. “I am grateful for whatever I get. I am trying to do the best with what I got.”
Christie said he is going to spend some of his new bonus on clothes, but he is going to save most of it. Lewis said he was going to pay off his car, give some to his family and put the rest in savings. So, what do the three two-way rookies Fudge, Hodge and Castleton plan to do with their bonuses?
“I am probably going to help my family back home in the British Virgin Islands,” said Hodge, who has played in six games this season. “My mom, dad and my family is back there. I don’t know if I want to buy something for myself, but I want to help my family first.”
Castleton, who has played in three games, said, “Got to save a good amount. Enjoy some of it and help my family out as well. We all talk about it. That is what the [veterans] told us as well.”
Fudge said, “I have never seen that kind of money before, so I’m going to take care of my family and take care of myself.”
