Former Lakers Champion Says Real Fans 'Don't Care' About NBA Cup

Jeremy Hanna | 13 Hours Ago

Dec 9, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Lakers players hoist the NBA Cup and celebrate after winning the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship game against the Indiana Pacers at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The NBA Cup is upon us, and basketball fans around the world remain relatively indifferent.

While the NBA Cup is an interesting idea to make the middle of the season seem as important as the postseason, the tournament has yet to garner the same prestige as the NBA Championship.

Still, it's an exciting reason to root for your team, especially if they love the Los Angeles Lakers. So far, the Lakers are 9-0 in career NBA Cup games and were the inaugural NBA Cup champions in 2023, with LeBron James taking the NBA Cup MVP.

That being said, some basketball veterans still look at the NBA Cup with disgust, including five-time NBA champion and former Laker Ron Harper.

Recently, Legion Hoops took to X to share Los Angeles' impressive accomplishment, only for Harper to reply, "No real fans care!!!!"

No real fans care!!!!

— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) November 20, 2024

If there's someone who knows about the prestige of winning championships, it's Ron Harper.

In the span of six years, Harper won five NBA Championships. The first three were with the Chicago Bulls from 1996-1998 alongside Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippin, and Dennis Rodman. The final two were won by the Lakers in 2000 and 2001 with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Given that he has only one other NBA accolade, NBA All-Rookie First Team, it goes to show how much these titles can do for a player's career in retrospect.

Still, it doesn't mean that we need to criticize the NBA Cup. While it's true that it doesn't carry the same weight as other championships, that doesn't mean that fans don't care.

One X user countered Harper's opinion, saying, 'Yes we do cause it's still a competition. Still counts towards overall record."

Another called Harper out directly, saying, "So you would refuse to play in it? Such a hater, man." This was echoed by another fan who said, "This is a prime example of old head hating. This is a tournament that [boosts] competition."

In the end, the NBA Cup comes across as a mid-card title belt in professional wrestling, like the Intercontinental Championship or United States Championship in WWE.

While these aren't world championships and don't necessarily seem as prestigious, they are still a great way for less popular wrestlers to prove that they can play at a main event level.

This is similar to the NBA Cup last year, where the Indiana Pacers proved that they were a team worthy of playoff consideration. In fact, they surpassed expectations to make it to the Eastern Conference finals.

So is the NBA Cup as prestigious as the NBA Championship? No. But does that mean it doesn't matter? Not by a long shot.

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