The Milwaukee Bucks collected the NBA Cup last night, in addition to $500,000 for each player. While half of a million to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard is a proverbial drop in the bucket considering their massive salaries, for others it’s life-changing.
After the Bucks’ 97-81 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup championship game, Antetokounmpo revealed that he had promised Milwaukee two-way player Liam Robbins that he would try his hardest to win the Cup and the money so Robbins, a native of Davenport, Iowa, could buy a house back home.
“We had this joke within the team about our two-way guy, Liam — I promised him from the first Cup game, I promised him, I said, ‘We’re going to go all the way and you’re going to get your house in Iowa.’ So after every game, I’m like, ‘Hey, one step closer to your house in Iowa,’” Antetokounmpo said [h/t FanDuel’s Rob Lopez].
Robbins, who went undrafted out of Vanderbilt last year, landed with the Bucks before the season. In October, the team converted his contract into a two-way deal, allowing him to be called up and sent down from the Bucks to the team’s G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. In six games with the Herd, Robbins is averaging 8.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.
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Antetokounmpo, as one might expect, said his own cash reward did not motivate him, but he did indicate the extra money and the Cup itself brought joy to the team, which appeared evident immediately after the game when Antetokounmpo, the Cup’s Most Valuable Player, and Lillard embraced and were all smiles during the trophy ceremony.
The Bucks finished the NBA Cup undefeated, having beaten the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, and Toronto Raptors in group play before edging out the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. Milwaukee, which started the season 2-8, has since won 13 of its last 16 games (although the NBA Cup final does not count toward the team’s official record).