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NBA finals game 7: How much prize money will Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers receive
The Oklahoma City Thunder lead the NBA Finals 3-2 against the Indiana Pacers, with millions at stake.
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to take home their first championship in 46 years. The Thunder were favorites to win the title coming into the playoffs.
Haliburton strained his right calf early in the Pacers’ 120-109 loss to the Thunder three days ago. The injury was serious enough that the coaching staff even discussed possibly sitting him out for the rest of the game at halftime.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said Haliburton’s status for Game 6 would be a game-time decision. Haliburton took part in a 30-minute walkthrough with the team on Wednesday. Despite clearly being affected in Game 5, he plans to play.
In that game, Haliburton struggled. He finished with only four points, missing all six of his shots. He did have seven rebounds and six assists but was noticeably limping after his postgame press conference.
Even with the injury, Haliburton will take the floor for Game 6 to help his team chase a championship—and a bigger payday. This year’s playoff prize pool for all teams is $34.7 million, up $1 million from last season. For the Pacers to win the title, they’ll need to win Game 6 and a tough Game 7 on the road. They finished fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 50-32 record, earning $372,000 from that alone.
Pacers have already secured $1.99 million
The Pacers have already secured $1.99 million by making it to the Finals and getting through the East. The winner of the Finals gets $8,805,000 more, while the losing team walks away with $3,803,000.
If Indiana wins it all, they’ll take home a total of $10.80 million. If they lose, the total will be $5.79 million.
The Thunder, on the other hand, could walk away with the full $12.42 million—$828,000 per player—if they win, thanks to finishing the season with the NBA’s best record.
