How much money did Natasha Howard pocket after winning Commissioner’s Cup trophy and MVP crown? Exploring lucrative payout

Natasha Howard powered the Indiana Fever to a 74–59 victory over the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Final on Tuesday, finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds and four assists to earn MVP honors.

The championship came with a $500,000 prize pool, plus a $120,000 crypto bonus from Coinbase, which included $5,000 in cryptocurrency for each player in the title game.

Howard, named Most Valuable Player, received an additional $5,000 on top of her share. According to Yahoo Sports, her total bonus for the tournament could reach “up to $50,000.”

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An 11-year WNBA veteran, Natasha Howard has earned $1,243,700 across her career, per Spotrac. She’s currently playing under a one-year, $214,466 contract with the Fever following a four-year, $898,700 deal during her time with the New York Liberty and Dallas Wings.

The Commissioner’s Cup also awarded charitable donations. The Fever selected Peace Learning Center as their beneficiary, earning them $23,000 — $13,000 from seeding games and $10,000 for winning the final. The Lynx’s charity, ACLU Minnesota, will receive $21,000, which includes a $5,000 bonus for Minnesota's runner-up finish.

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Indiana’s frontcourt played a key role in the win, with Aliyah Boston putting up 12 points and 11 rebounds. In the backcourt, Kelsey Mitchell and Aari McDonald each had 12 points, while Sophie Cunningham added 13 off the bench.

Natasha Howard outshines MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier

Natasha Howard had the tall task of guarding MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier, who managed just 12 points on 6-for-18 shooting.

Following the game, Howard credited the Fever’s collective effort for holding Collier, who had been averaging 24.4 points on 52.5% shooting prior to the matchup, in check.

"I knew I had had a handful with Collier," Howard said (per Reuters). "She's a great player. My thing was just limit her to hard shots, and that's what I did today. I made it uncomfortable for her, but at the end of day she was still going to get her buckets.

"I couldn't do it by myself. I had to have my teammates behind me helping me out, as well."

The Fever will next face the Las Vegas Aces, LA Sparks and Golden State Valkyries.

About the author

John Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication, for four years—the longest in history.

A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant's departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.

He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson's record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro