NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
The New York Knicks have not won an NBA title since the early 1970s. It has also been more than a quarter-century since the franchise won the Eastern Conference and advanced to the NBA Finals.
On Tuesday night, the Knicks took the court in Las Vegas to compete for an NBA title of sorts. The Knicks faced the San Antonio Spurs in Las Vegas for the third edition of the NBA Cup, the league’s rebranded seasonal tournament.
While some players and coaches have praised the emerging concept, Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA analyst Charles Barkley remains unconvinced.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
College basketball analyst Charles Barkley on air before the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four championship. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
“I think the Cup thing is kind of embarrassing,” Barkley said during a guest appearance on the “Tom Tolbert Show” during a discussion about the NBA Cup. Barkley also expressed anguish over the series’ reliance on prize money as a means of forcing players to prioritize regular season games.
COOPER FLAGG MAKES NBA HISTORY AS THE MAVERICKS FALL INTO JAZZ
“I’m disappointed that we have to do a tournament during the season so these guys get more money and can’t manage the load.” The NBA has implemented rules to try to discourage teams from sitting healthy players due to load management.
A player must now appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for coveted individual awards such as NBA MVP.
A general view of the arena before the NBA Emirates Cup Championship game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
“But having to pay these guys extra money to play other games, they should play basketball because they are well compensated for playing basketball,” Barkley continued. “Doing a tournament during the season to make extra money, come on, man. That’s a little ridiculous.”
By most accounts, the NBA Cup was implemented to increase the level of excitement during the league’s 82-game regular season. Commissioner Adam Silver used similar seasonal tournaments in Europe as a model for the NBA version.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the press conference at the NBA Emirates Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Kirby Lee/Image Images)
While television ratings fell from the first year of the tournament to the second in 2024, demand for tickets dropped and Barkley and other commentators expressed criticism, the NBA league office still appears committed to the experiment.
The Knicks defeated the Spurs 124-113 in Tuesday’s NBA Cup championship game.
