Josh Hart Was Ready to Get His Money As Knicks Sealed NBA Cup With Win Over Spurs

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The Knicks are your 2025 NBA Cup champions. Along with the early-season hardware, they get a pretty nice payday to go with the victory.
Both the Knicks and the Spurs were guaranteed a handsome bonus by making it all the way to the NBA Cup final, but as the winner, New York players get over $300,000 more for a total $530,933 per player as the tournament’s champion. Tuesday night’s final was close throughout, until the Knicks rallied from a third-quarter deficit and then put together a massive fourth quarter where they outscored the Spurs 35-19 to take home the hardware.
Josh Hart was a big part of the win on both sides of the floor. And when the win was officially in New York’s sights, he was ready for the big payday with a hilarious on-court gesture:
Josh Hart. 🤣🤣
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 17, 2025
pic.twitter.com/vHE8YDQiKJ
Star guard Jalen Brunson was named NBA Cup MVP, scoring 25 points along with eight assists and five rebounds in Tuesday’s final. OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 28 points and five three-pointers. Hart had 11 points and eight rebounds, while Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek were big contributors off the bench with 15 points and 14 points, respectively.
The Knicks were down 11 points with just two minutes left in the third quarter before they went on a run to trim the lead before the big fourth quarter. The NBA Cup final doesn’t count in the standings, but the win should help New York build momentum for the rest of the season, as the Knicks try to get over the hump to make a run at an NBA title this year. It doesn’t hurt that their wallets got considerably heavier in the process either.
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Blake Silverman is a writer at Sports Illustrated, primarily covering the NBA and WNBA. Before joining SI in November 2024 as a breaking/trending news writer, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation and A10Talk. He’s an alum of both Michigan State and St. Bonaventure University, receiving a master’s degree from the Bonnies’ sports journalism program. Outside of work, he’s a husband, father, yogi and fairly mediocre tennis player who’s open to any tips on how to play defense in EA Sports College Football.