With 66 games in the books, the Las Vegas NBA Summer League is ready to crown a new champion!
Over the past 10 days, 24 teams and the top five picks in the 2017 NBA Draft have been competing in front of a packed house at Thomas and Mack Center. NBA teams test their rookies and look for players to fill out their rosters, while foreign teams scout players that may not make the cut on an NBA team but would be successful in other leagues around the world.
The Thomas and Mack Center is the place to be when the NBA is in town, with executives hustling to make deals and sign players, owners meeting with one another, and all types of media outlets here to host their shows, cover the games, and talk with sources. Celebrities and NBA stars also came out to support their teams and witness the next stars of the NBA compete. This year fans saw appearances from Lebron James, Chris Paul, James Harden, J-Cole, Floyd Mayweather, Mark Cuban, Gregg Popovich and more.
This year’s Summer League has been particularly special due to high level of play from rising stars like Lonzo Ball and Jayson Tatum, but also in part to the ancillary events going on around the arena. We hosted a variety of events like a private showing of the Giants of Africa movie, an International Coaching Clinic, a sports science think tank, a charity ping pong tournament with NBA stars, the Sports Business Classroom, Jr. NBA basketball, and other private events like the Victory Everyday Workshop.
On top of these events, the Thomas and Mack concourse has been home to numerous attractions for fans to interact with and add to their Summer League experience. Fans of all ages could go through their own combine, watch clips of NBA play in virtual reality, take pictures with holograms of stars, get autographs at scheduled sittings, take pictures with the Summer League Trophy, play the new EA Sports NBA Live 18, and shoot hoops in an arcade style pop-a-shot area.
Tomorrow’s championship game will feature the Portland Trailblazers and the Los Angeles Lakers. Lakers’ Lonzo Ball has had a phenomenal tournament, posting two triple doubles and leading the Summer League in assists. The Lakers have also seen stellar performance from Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac, and Alex Caruso who was recently signed to a two-way contract with the team. The Portland Trailblazers are led by first round draft pick, Caleb Swanigan, who averaged the second most rebounds per game this Summer League.
Neither team has ever won the championship before, so be sure to come out and witness history. You can purchase tickets here: Buy Tickets
