NBA Finals Prize Money: How Much Will Boston Celtics Earn for Winning 2024 Championship?

Boston Celtics' 2024 NBA Finals prize: Unveiling the championship earnings. How much will the Celtics take home for clinching the title this year? Discover the financial rewards.

By Rakesh Mehra

Updated on Jun 18, 2024 | 09:05 AM IST | 970.5K

Image Courtesy: Twitter

In Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics clinched their 18th title by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 106-88. Jayson Tatum led Boston with 31 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds, joining an elite group of players including Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, James Worthy, and Walt Frazier, who have achieved 30 points and 10 assists in a series-clinching win in NBA Finals history. Jaylen Brown contributed 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Jrue Holiday added 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Teams playing in this year's NBA playoffs are set to partake in a pool worth $33.7 million, with monetary awards calculated according to each team's progression. The cash reward per team starts at approximately $452,708, nearly $30,000 for each player given a 15-player roster, and could reach up to a whopping $12.1 million ($804,000 per player) for the champions of the NBA.

Teams advance and earn more with every round. On top of this, the NBA factors in regular-season rankings when distributing the playoff pool, rewarding the team with the best record with an extra cash bonus.

Take the Boston Celtics, for instance. The team wound up the season as the No. 1 seed with a warrior-like record of 64-18. This winning streak will see each player earn $804,000 if they triumph in the championship.

Here's a quick run-through of how the prize money works for teams that make it to each playoff round, as shared by TalkSport:

Getting into the first round: $402,000
Moving into the second round (Conference Semis): $478,000
Proceeding into Conference finals: $791,000
Pushing into the NBA Finals: $3.1 million
Making it big by winning the NBA championship: $4.7M

It's crucial to remember that teams are rewarded this prize money, which they then distribute amongst players. The money's distribution may be divided equally in some cases, while in others, more may go to the starters compared to the bench players.

In contrast, teams that place seventh or eighth pass-up bonuses for regular-season performances. Players on these teams could potentially earn as much as $698,000 should they experience an extraordinary run to the top. The team that pulled off this feat was the 1995 Houston Rockets, who stood at a sixth seed and eventually bagged the NBA Finals.

There are no additional financial incentives for participating in play-in tournament games, except for regular-season salaries, usually paid out over 12 months.

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2024 NBA Playoff bonuses and salary highlights

The Winners of the NBA conference finals this year, such as the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, also cash in their portion of the tournament's prize money. The NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for this year assigned $27.5 million to serve as post-season rewards. The bonus pool enlarges as the teams climb up each victorious playoff round.

The surge in playoff bonuses varies from 12% to 17% per round, except for the championship round, where the rise is a notable 79%: from $4.78 million to a whopping $8.55 million.

The general NBA player's salary goes beyond $10 million; among them, Stephen Curry outstrips all at $51.9 million. Interestingly, this season saw 42 NBA players amass $30 million each even before the application of incentives. Prominent among these big earners were Kristaps Porziis ($36 million), Jrue Holiday ($35 million), and the Celtics' Jayson Tatum ($32.6 million).

The Boston Celtics had an outstanding run this season, storming past the Miami Heat in the Conference First Round with a remarkable score of 114-94 under Jayson Tatum's commendable performance of 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

The synergy among Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Jrue Holiday played a crucial role in the Celtics' success. Tatum's leadership pivoted around high scoring, rebounding, and assisting, while Brown and Holiday's valuable contributions kept the team's momentum rolling.

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