NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2018 – The NBA announced today that all 30 teams will compete in MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2018 – the first time the entire league will be represented at the annual showcase for up-and-coming talent in Las Vegas. The 14th NBA Summer League will take place July 6-17 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
With every team participating, NBA Summer League 2018 will expand to 12 days and 82 games as part of the usual tournament-style schedule. Teams will compete in three preliminary games before being seeded in a tournament that culminates with the Championship Game on July 17. Each team will play at least five games and as many as eight.
NBA Summer League began in 2004 with six NBA teams playing a total of 13 games. Last year’s event featured 24 NBA teams playing 67 games.
NBA Summer League 2017 set records for total attendance (127,843) and single-day attendance (17,500). In addition, ESPN and NBA TV combined to televise the most-viewed NBA Summer League ever, averaging 227,000 daily viewers (up 29 percent from 2016). A matchup between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers was the most-watched NBA Summer League game in history, with 1.1 million viewers on ESPN. Across social media platforms, fans accounted for 436 million video views, an increase of 37 percent from the year before.
Also last year, the Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the Championship Game behind 30 points and 10 rebounds from Kyle Kuzma, the Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for October and November this season. Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball was named Most Valuable Player of NBA Summer League 2017. Boston’s Jayson Tatum and the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell, the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month respectively, for December, were among the other players from NBA Draft 2017 presented by State Farm to begin their careers in Las Vegas.
NBA Summer League has a rich history of showcasing the NBA’s future stars. Golden State Warriors teammates and Kia NBA MVP winners Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant competed in Las Vegas before their rookie seasons. Other former participants include eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard of the Charlotte Hornets, five-time All-Star Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers and five-time All-Star John Wall of the Washington Wizards.
Ticket information and complete game and broadcast schedules for MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2018 will be announced at a later date.
