NBA playoff bonuses announced! Knicks players to receive $770,000 each, doubling Sochan's income

On June 15, Beijing time, the Knicks' long wait finally ended. The players who delivered this long-overdue NBA championship to the team gained more than just historic fame. The victory also comes with tangible bonus earnings. Knicks players will receive a considerable sum from the NBA playoff bonus pool, and for the lower-paid members of the squad, this championship payout is a significant supplement to their season's earnings.

According to a report by Sportico reporter Kurt Badenhausen, each Knicks player will receive approximately $770,000 (about 5.2 million RMB) from the NBA for winning the championship. This amount is substantial in any context, especially for players with lower salaries. Badenhausen cited examples such as Jeremy Sochan, Pacôme Dadiet, and José Alvarado, all of whom will see a major income boost from this bonus.

Sochan's salary is $806,000, Dadiet's is $1.3 million, and Alvarado's is $1.7 million. For players in this salary range, the roughly $770,000 bonus is not just "extra income" but a significant financial reward for being part of the championship team.

For the Knicks, the biggest gain is still the championship banner and the relief of ending the long wait, but the players certainly won't mind this additional bonus.

The 2026 NBA playoff bonus distribution is as follows—

The total 2026 NBA playoff bonus pool amounts to $35.74 million, distributed based on each team's regular-season record and playoff advancement stage.

The NBA Finals champion team receives $9.078 million, while the runner-up receives $3.921 million. Conference finalists each get $980,000, conference semifinalists each get $586,000, and teams eliminated in the first round each receive $481,000.

In addition, there are regular-season performance bonuses: the team with the best regular-season record in the league gets $896,000, and the teams with the best regular-season record in each division of the Eastern and Western Conferences receive $784,000 each. Bonus amounts decrease based on division ranking, with the sixth-place team in each division of the Eastern and Western Conferences receiving $210,000.