TORONTO — NBA Cup prize money isn’t created equally.
For Karl-Anthony Towns, it’s a tiny fraction of his $53 million salary. For Tyler Kolek, it’s a big bonus on top of his $2.2 million.
And it arrives just in time for the holidays.
“Definitely it’s a big number. Last Christmas, I bought my mom a car with the money we got,” Kolek said before the Knicks’ 117-101 win over the Raptors in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday night. “We were in this round last year and we didn’t advance. So hopefully we can get it done. It would be a nice little Christmas gift.”
Another car for Mom?
“Nope, my dad wants the next one,” the backup guard said.
Kolek played a small role in the Knicks advancing, but will have more chances to help determine whether they can win the NBA Cup title with the grand prize of $514,790 per player.
He had stepped into bigger minutes following the injuries to Landry Shamet (shoulder sprain) and Miles McBride (ankle sprain), neither of whom has a set return date.
McBride, who was hurt in Sunday’s victory over the Magic, suffered a high ankle sprain, according to a source, and was undergoing further testing as of Tuesday to determine the severity.
McBride did not travel to Toronto after leaving New York’s practice facility Monday in a walking boot.
The circumstances left Kolek as one of only two backup guards alongside Jordan Clarkson, notching eight minutes and two points off the bench.
“Every game that you get into is a big opportunity,” Kolek said. “Especially since it’s a Cup game. We’re trying to win. So I’m excited for the game no matter what.”
The prize for a quarterfinal elimination is $51,497, which Kolek used last Christmas for his mom’s new car.
A semifinal appearance nets $102,994, and a loss in the finals gets each player $205,998.
That’s a much nicer car for dad.
Mitchell Robinson had a different reason to get to Vegas.
The country music enthusiast wanted to attend the Zac Brown Band concert at the Sphere, the venue near the strip owned by James Dolan.
The band has dates booked in Vegas on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13, when the Knicks would be in town if they advanced.
The show is sold out but Robinson probably has a hookup.
“They also got a country concert, so I can go to that,” Robinson said.
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