By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The curtain dropped on the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas Sunday.
While the Summer League’s attendance did not reach pre-COVID levels, there were still decent crowds like the 17,022 that showed up at Thomas & Mack Center/Cox Pavilion July 9. (Sellout is 17,500.) Professional basketball’s annual summer gathering in Las Vegas brought together Commissioner Adam Silver, NBA owners, hoops celebrities, NBA tech partners, industry vendors and, of course, the up-and-coming players from all 30 NBA teams trying to make their mark on their clubs during the 11 days in Las Vegas.
Here was the daily attendance:
July 7: 9,641
July 8: 14,139
July 9: 17,022
July 10: 14,227
July 11: 11,003
July 12: 11,485
July 13: 9,037
July 14: 8,279
July 15: 12,749
July 16: 11,320
July 17: 9,713
Heading into Sunday, NBA Summer League attendance was 118,902. Sunday’s attendance was 9,713 for an 11-day total of 128,615. Silver mentioned last week that attendance was going to be about 135,000, so he was not too far off.
For the record, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the New York Knicks to win the Summer League title, 85-77.
The Portland players received Summer League championship rings.
In winning a summer league crown, a team can potentially carry momentum into the next season. The 30 NBA teams get a chance to give their young players playing time to see their potential and roles for the following season as well.
There’s been fan talk of the idea of the WNBA holding its annual All-Star Game during the first weekend of NBA Summer League for marketing synergy.
Sunday’s six games completed the 75-game schedule in Las Vegas.
There’s always talk of the NBA having a team in this market. The Los Angeles-based Oak View Group, an arena development company, is looking at building an NBA-ready arena at Las Vegas Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road south of the Strip.