Ball Around

Former Champion Rips NBA Cup, Believes Real Fans 'Don't Care' About It

Matt Levine

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The NBA debuted the NBA In-Season Tournament last year, with many people enjoying the games. It gave regular season matchups more of a playoff feeling as players seemed to take the games just a little more seriously.

The prize at the end of the tournament is $500,000 for each player on the winning team. This gave incentive for teams to win it all, with the Los Angeles Lakers taking home the title of champions in the first go around.

Los Angeles went undefeated during their run to winning the NBA In-Season Tournament title, cementing a strong few weeks of basketball. The NBA decided to rebrand the In-Season Tournament over the offseason, now calling it the NBA Cup.

This year's version of the NBA Cup has started and the Lakers are off to a hot start once again. Los Angeles has won both of their first two NBA Cup games, keeping themselves undefeated in the totality of the event.

However, some have been critical of the NBA Cup, saying that it's an unnecessary addition to the league. Former NBA champion guard Ron Harper took to social media to let his feelings on the matter be known.

"No real fans care!!!!"

Harper won five NBA titles during his playing days, three with the Chicago Bulls and two with the Lakers. He knows what it takes to win a title and made it clear that he doesn't view the NBA Cup as the same thing.

But while Harper may have an issue with the NBA Cup, others have enjoyed it. It has given some meaning back to the regular season, especially the early season games before the holidays.

The league has been dealing with a drop in ratings so this is just another way for the NBA to combat that fact. Players have spoken about the intensity of the games, with each team knowing that money is on the line every time out.

While it's not a real NBA title, it still does have some level of meaning. Similar to what many soccer leagues do around the globe, the NBA wanted to have an in-season prize for teams to compete for.

As long as the players enjoy the NBA Cup and ratings don't take too much of a dip, it seems that this new event is here to stay for the long haul.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

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