New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado already has plans for what he will do with his cut of the prize money if his team wins the NBA's inaugural in-season tournament. The team is two wins away from winning it all, and if that happens, Alvarado will be giving the money to his three daughters.
"I will not touch the money," Alvarado said in an interview with Andscape. "My financial team will act like I never made it. It's not for me. It's not in my hands. I'm living my life. They got to live their lives and I don't want them to struggle at all. This is the first time I'm telling everybody. I just know what I want to do."
The way the tournament is set up, players from the winning team get $500,000 each, while runner-ups get $200,000. The players who already reached the semifinals, such as Alvarado, are guaranteed $100,000. His team earned the trip to Vegas after eliminating the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
According to Spotrac, Alvarado will be earning a base salary of $1,836,096 this season. That is a lot of money for the average person, but not much compared to what other NBA players such as teammate Zion Williamson are getting (a base salary of $34,005,250 this season). Nevertheless, Alvarado has his priorities straight.
"I ain't struggling now. I'm blessed to be financially good," he said. "So why do I need to add that extra load? Let that grow and let them have it. I ain't going to see it. I promise. I ain't going to touch it. It's a great opportunity to do that. A lot of people aren't that fortunate, but I am. I just want this game to keep me blessed and I don't want my kids to worry about nothing."
Alvarado's goal is an unselfish one, and New York Knicks guard Josh Hart -- his former teammate -- sarcastically commented about the sweet "Girl's Dad" act.
"What a loser. Go get you some ice," Hart joked.
What a loser. Go get you some ice 💎💎 https://t.co/RMyTATHYop
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) December 6, 2023
The in-season tournament semifinals will tip off in Las Vegas on Thursday, Dec. 7. The Pelicans are taking on the Los Angeles Lakers at 9 p.m. ET. For more information on the tournament schedule and bracket, click here.
