BBNBA: Davis & Vanderbilt win $500,000 in Las Vegas; Tshiebwe gets first NBA rebound and point

Las Vegas hosted the inaugural NBA In-season Tournament Championship on Saturday and former Kentucky players cashed out big. The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 123-109 to win the NBA Cup, a trophy that will almost assuredly be named after LeBron James at some point. James has been rumored to be part of the ownership group of a potential Las Vegas expansion team after he retires (if he ever retires), so his winning a brand new trophy without a name in Sin City feels serendipitous. However, in the championship, it was Anthony Davis who was unstoppable.

Davis finished with a ridiculous double-double, posting 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. He was by far the best player on the court and dominated both ends of the floor. If there was any concern players would not care about an in-season tournament, a bit of a gimmick manufactured to inject some meaning into a regular season that is a little too long, Davis and company did not get that memo. He gave off the same, “This is my stage!” vibes he had after winning the NCAA tournament.

The money probably helped too.

Every player on the winning team earned $500,000 for the win, and while half a million dollars might not be life-changing for Davis, who makes $62 million per season, it is quite a bonus for the players on the end of the bench.

For example, Jarred Vanderbilt did not have a great game, but he still walked away with an extra half-million. Hopefully, they didn’t spend it all at the club afterward.

Oscar Tshiebwe gets first NBA rebound and point

It is not often you make a trip to Vegas, lose, and still walk away $200,000 richer, but that was the case with everyone on the Indiana Pacers’ main roster, including Isaiah Jackson, who made a difference in his 19 minutes off the bench. His 10 points, five rebounds, and four blocks provided a boost for the Pacers, though they weren’t quite able to make a serious threat to the Lakers late in the game.

Because of the large margin near the end of the 4th quarter, Oscar Tshiebwe received his first official NBA minutes. Well, minute, to be exact. And in the most Oscar Tshiebwe way possible, he immediately grabbed an offensive rebound. He got fouled on his putback and sank one of two free throws. This means in his first and only NBA minute, he had one point and one rebound, maintaining the same incredible per-minute production he enjoyed in the G-League, where he averaged 36 minutes and 36 rebounds per 36 minutes of action.

Because he is on a two-way contract, Tshiebwe only receives half the prize money, $100,000 in his case, but a six-figure payout isn’t a pay for one minute of action.

Oscar’s strong minute in his team’s loss has some fans online clamoring for the big man to play more. Let’s see if his Las Vegas debut creates some more momentum for additional playing time.

BBNBA In-season Final Statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	P/M	MIN
Anthony Davis (LAL)	123-109 W vs. IND	41	16-24 (0-0)	20	5	0	4	4	+13	41
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	109-123 L vs. LAL	10	2-6 (0-0)	5	0	0	4	1	+5	19
Oscar Tshiebwe (IND) [2-Way]	109-123 L vs. LAL	1	0-0 (0-0)	1	0	0	0	0	+1	1
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	123-109 W vs. IND	0	0-1 (0-0)	4	1	1	2	0	-8	16