LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers easily won the NBA’s inaugural mid-season tournament on Saturday night in Las Vegas. This may be the beginning of a tradition, or it could just be a foolish PR gimmick.
Even though the NBA Finals are still six months away, the Lakers put up a championship-caliber performance, defeating the Indiana Pacers, who were playing for the first time, 123-109. Above all, participants seemed to like the new format, but it might have been due to the $500,000 in total prize money awarded to each player. That may seem insignificant to James and Davis, but it is only half of what Lakers forward Maxwell Lewis has made in his career.
Several of the younger players understandably assumed that the prize money would be higher because half of the Lakers squad makes $4 million or less this season.
“When do we get our money?” was the first thing they asked me after I got off the floor. James subsequently stated, alluding to the younger members of the team. I said to myself, “I don’t know.”
Some brushed off the Lakers’ “title” victory. At least one direct mention of Los Angeles’ 2020 NBA championship was made, which some people downplay because it was earned in the tumultuous season that was cut short by the epidemic inside the Orlando-based league’s “bubble.”
FanDuel’s Michelle Beadle remarked on X, “If you combine this IST championship with the Lakers bubble championship, that’s almost like one whole championship.”
LeBron James won MVP honors for the inaugural in-season tournament on Saturday
Los Angeles Lakers celebrate after defeating the Indiana Pacers in the In-Season Tournament
Some downplayed the Lakers’ win. There was at least one reference to LA’s 2020 NBA title
Although James won the tournament MVP award, Anthony Davis set career highs for the Lakers with 41 points and 20 rebounds.
D’Angelo Russell scored 13 points, Austin Reaves contributed 28 points, and James finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Davis had five assists in addition to being 16 of 24 from the field.
For Indiana, Tyrese Haliburton finished with 20 points and 11 assists, Bennedict Mathurin added 20 points, and Aaron Nesmith added 15.
There was still a lot on the line in this game, which is the only one in the tournament that is not included in the rankings. The Pacers received $200,000 each, and Lakers players on typical two-way contracts received $500,000 in addition to winning a trophy. Half of those sums are paid to players on two-way contracts.
The tournament and the championship game in front of the pro-Lakers fans had that kind of atmosphere, even though the stakes weren’t as high as they would be for a playoff.
LeBron James (23) controls the ball against Indiana Pacers forward Bruce Brown
In addition, James, who has already won four NBA titles, has added another trophy to his collection. James has never hidden his ambition to do so.
The Lakers discovered in the Pacers a squad with just as much energy and a rising star in this league. Throughout this tournament, Haliburton became a familiar figure, but on Saturday, the Lakers restricted his damage. Reddish took up most of the defensive responsibilities on Haliburton, but instead of trying to force the situation, he frequently handed the ball to a teammate.
The Lakers had the upper hand for the majority of the contest, but Indiana managed to stay within striking distance until Los Angeles’ late-fourth-quarter 15-3 surge turned a 100-96 edge into a 115-99 lead.
Basketball greats Shaquille O’Neal and Julius Erving, football greats Tim Brown and Shannon Sharpe, former tennis player Steffi Graf, former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., chef Bobby Flay, and rapper Flavor Flav were among those there. A’ja Wilson, the MVP of the WNBA Finals, and several players from the Las Vegas Aces, the two-time champions, were also present.
