NBA Summer League Has $250 Million Impact on Las Vegas, Adam Silver Announces

Las Vegas, long known as the entertainment capital of the world, continues to strengthen its reputation as a premier sports destination, thanks in part to the NBA Summer League. This year’s event brought in an estimated economic impact of $250 million, a milestone announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The annual event started 20 Years ago, has become much more than a proving ground for rising basketball stars—it’s now a major economic driver for the city.

Held each summer, the NBA Summer League has evolved into a must-attend event for basketball fans, media, and celebrities alike. What started as a relatively small event aimed at giving rookies and young players experience has grown over 20 years into a 11 Day long basketball extravaganza, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to Las Vegas. In addition to the on-court action, the event now features fan festivals, integrations, events, and conventions.

Adam Silver, in his announcement, praised the league’s partnership with VSL Staff, the city of Las Vegas and highlighted the event’s expanding significance:

“Las Vegas has become the perfect stage for showcasing our league’s future stars. The impact goes beyond basketball—it brings significant benefits to the local economy, and we’re thrilled to be a part of that growth.”

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS: BY THE NUMBERS

The 20th Year of Las Vegas Summer League boasted strong attendance, viewership and social media engagement numbers. 

126,220 total fans made their way through the Thomas & Mack Center doors during 11 days of the 2024 event. NBA 2K25 Summer League garnered a 200,000 average viewership on ESPN Networks throughout the event and a 406,000 average viewership during the championship game on ESPN. All in all, NBA 2K25 Summer League had 10.7 million viewers across all 76 games on the ESPN Network and NBATV. In addition, the VSL social media and marketing team accounted for 693 millions video views for NBA Social & NBA Apps throughout the duration of the event.

SUPPORT FOR SURROUNDING NBA EVENTS

The on-court action is only a microcosm of what the NBA 2K25 Summer League brought to Las Vegas, it has become a gateway for more partnership activations & ancillary pieces to host outside of the game. What made this year’s basketball festival more impactful were the surrounding NBA related events and announcements including Emirates NBA Cup Announcement, Adam Silver Press Conference, Hennessy Creator Cup, NBA Basketball Tech Expo, NBA Launchpad Demo Day, NBA Rookie Photoshoot, USA Basketball Training Camp and Exhibition Game.

EMIRATES NBA CUP ANNOUNCEMENT

The NBA continues to push the boundaries of global sports engagement with the Emirates NBA Cup, a groundbreaking tournament introduced as part of the league’s ongoing efforts to expand its global presence. The announcement of this exciting collaboration between the NBA and Emirates Airlines was made with much fanfare, signaling a new era of international basketball competition, travel, and fan experience.

ADAM SILVER PRESS CONFERENCE

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took center stage during the 2024 NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas to provide updates and insights into the league’s direction, as well as answer questions from the media. As the Summer League has grown into a hub for not only basketball development but also league announcements, Silver’s press conference offered a glimpse into the future of the NBA.

VSL was able to outfit the Backstage Cafe to the proper requirements for hosting this important presser. VSL also provided event operations support to insure the presser was a success. The VSL social and digital media team was allowed access to this event for media coverage purposes.

HENNESSY CREATOR CUP

The Hennessy Creator Cup featured some of the most popular names in the world of social media and entertainment as influencers, athletes, and entertainers formed teams to compete in fast-paced, high-energy games. The format was designed for excitement, with teams battling it out in shortened, intense matchups that emphasized fun, flair, and highlight-reel moments.

VSL Properties and HallPass engaged its event management and digital marketing teams to partner with Hennessy Creator Cup on a variety of deliverables including support for a concourse activation, digital ad runs on in-arena digitals, email marketing, and cross promotion on social media.