Charles Barkley rips NBA Cup, suggests in-season tournament functions as player cash grab

The New York Knicks haven't won an NBA rubric since the aboriginal 1970s. It has besides been much than a quarter-century since the franchise won the Eastern Conference and precocious to the NBA Finals.

On Tuesday night, the Knicks took the tribunal successful Las Vegas to vie for an NBA rubric — of sorts. The Knicks met the San Antonio Spurs successful Las Vegas for the 3rd iteration of the NBA Cup, the league's rebranded in-season tournament.

While immoderate players and coaches person praised the emerging concept, Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA expert Charles Barkley remains unconvinced.

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College hoops expert Charles Barkley connected aerial earlier the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four title game. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

"I deliberation the cupful happening is somewhat embarrassing," Barkley said during a impermanent quality connected the "Tom Tolbert Show" during a treatment astir the NBA Cup. Barkley besides expressed angst implicit the series' reliance connected prize wealth arsenic a means to compel players to prioritize regular-season games.

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"I’m disappointed that we person to marque an in-season tourney to marque these guys much wealth truthful they won’t bash load management." The NBA has implemented rules to effort to discourage teams from sitting different steadfast players owed to load management. 

A subordinate present indispensable look successful astatine slightest 65 games to beryllium eligible for coveted idiosyncratic awards specified arsenic the NBA MVP.

A wide presumption of the arena earlier the Emirates NBA Cup Championship crippled betwixt the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks astatine T-Mobile Arena connected Dec. 16, 2025 successful Las Vegas, Nevada.   (Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

"But to person to wage these guys other wealth to marque them play different games – they should play hoops due to the fact that they’re well-compensated to play basketball," Barkley continued. "To bash an in-season tourney to marque them other money, travel on, man. That’s a small spot ridiculous."

By astir accounts, the NBA Cup was implemented to summation the level of excitement during the league's 82-game regular season. Commissioner Adam Silver utilized akin in-season tournaments successful Europe arsenic a exemplary for the NBA's version.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks during property league astatine the Emirates NBA Cup Final astatine T-Mobile Arena connected Dec. 16, 2025 successful Las Vegas, Nevada. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

While TV ratings dropped from the tournament's archetypal twelvemonth to its 2nd successful 2024, summons request shrank and Barkley and different commentators voiced criticism, the NBA league bureau inactive appears committed to the experiment.

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The Knicks defeated the Spurs 124-113 successful Tuesday's NBA Cup title game.

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