Epicenter Of Global Hoops Here In Las Vegas Through July 19; NBA Summer League Enjoys 17,500 Sellout For Day 1 Thursday
By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Year after year, I refer to the NBA Summer League here at the UNLV campus as the annual Woodstock of global basketball.
But the annual mid-July event at Thomas and Mack Center has grown so big — especially with the Tech Expo on July 13 and other media technology chatter — that you can also refer to the Summer League as the “CES of hoops,” too. The worldwide convention of basketball includes a film festival and sports medicine program.
From July 9-19, expect about 135,000-140,000 fans to fill the Thomas and Mack and adjoining Cox Pavilion, with techy touches like machines that allow fans to craft their own hoodie to machines that actually dispense beer. Day 1 Thursday was a sellout with 17,500 attendance. Tickets are $68 adults for one day and $55 for kids.
The NBA Summer League has also leveraged its visitor draw to win a $4.25 million, three-year sponsorship from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), the publicly-funded tourism agency that approved the multi-million-dollar deal at its June board meeting a month ago.
During the NBA Summer League, Commissioner Adam Silver will meet the media during a press session at Thomas and Mack.
NBA expansion in Las Vegas will certainly be raised as a question for Silver, who also wants to expand with a European League in 2027.
There are at least four NBA expansion group and arena projects being floated in Sin City with expansion coming as early as 2028 in Vegas.
The quartet of expansion competitors are NHL VGK owner Bill Foley; the Jerry Colangelo Las Vegas Jacks group; the Las Vegas Diamond Arena proposal led by Chetak Development and the LVXP arena proposal on the north end of the Strip at the former Wet ‘N’ Wild site.
The hip hop radio station, Hot 97.5 FM, was on the Thomas and Mack concourse promoting the Diamond Arena proposal for the site right across from Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.
There’s a relaxed, loosey-goosey feel to the summer league, kind of a baseball spring training feel as all 30 NBA teams are here to give their freshly-minted draft picks and young players a chance to play together and make their mark on the hardwood.
There are also business of basketball and startup company sessions going on this week as anyone connected to round ball will likely be strolling the Thomas & Mack concourse.
PSA
