LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 9: Colin Castleton #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers walks the red carpet before the game against the Indiana Pacers during the In-Season Tournament Championship game on December 9, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Lakers' 2-Way Players Nearly Double Contracts with NBA IST Championship Prize Money

Tyler ConwayDec 10, 2023

Five-hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money for anybody, but for the Los Angeles Lakers' three two-way players, it will be life-changing.

Colin Castleton, Alex Fudge and D'Moi Hodge each nearly doubled their salaries with the Lakers' NBA In-Season Tournament championship win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

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Each of the players on the Lakers roster earned a $500,000 bonus for winning the inaugural IST.

"The first question they asked me when I came off was, 'When do we get our money?' I'm like, 'I don't know.' But I kind of do know, but I'm not going to tell them just yet," LeBron James said of his younger teammates.

Of course, the bonus will make for a far bigger incentive for players on the end of the bench than the likes of James and Anthony Davis. That said, even star players spent the In-Season Tournament lusting after the prize money, which clearly incentivized a high level of play across the first event.

We'll have to see whether future iterations create as much of a buzz, but the first go-around with the In-Season Tournament was an unmitigated success.