Las Vegas Summer League banking on return to form

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Thursday, July 7, 2022 | 2 a.m.

At some point this week, probably today or Friday in front of a packed house at the Thomas & Mack Center, something is going to happen.

Something like Zion Williamson’s showstopping steal and dunk in his 2019 summer league debut, which was followed, fittingly, by an earthquake.

Something like the 2018 scene when LeBron James, fresh off signing with Los Angeles, arrived courtside in purple and gold Lakers gear for the first time.

Something like the 2016 contest in which Bulls rookie Denzel Valentine hit buzzer-beaters in regulation and overtime to win the tournament championship.

It’s too early to say exactly what it’s going to be — or even whether it will be on-court action or off-court intrigue — but it’s going to be the kind of electric moment that can only happen at the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. The event itself is counting on it.

The past two years have been challenging for the summer league. The COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 iteration entirely, and though all 30 teams returned in 2021, the extended NBA schedule pushed the league from its normal early July calendar slot to the barrens of mid-August.

Attendance dropped roughly 40% in 2021, according to co-founder Albert Hall.

“As small business owners, we’re guys just like everyone else,” Hall said. “Everyone thinks we’re the NBA, but our company, VSL, is the one that puts on this thing. So, we felt it. We weren’t able to sell a ticket for 18 months. Like a lot of small business owners, we had to bite the bullet.”

The 2022 version is all about getting the summer league back to its pre-pandemic state. In 2019, the league recorded its highest average attendance, bringing in 12,199 fans per day, and a total of 134,188 people came through the gates. Hall cited internal data that showed more than 60% of fans in attendance were from Las Vegas and Southern California, and he said the league is building out the fan experience at the Thomas & Mack Center in an attempt to get locals back in the habit of buying a ticket.

A bumper crop of rookies should also ignite excitement among NBA fans, in general. Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is expected to play in Las Vegas, as is No. 3 selection Jabari Smith (Houston Rockets). And the hype is palpable for 20-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren after the 7-foot-1 wunderkind posted 23 points and six blocks in his Salt Lake City Summer League debut Tuesday.

More than anything, Hall said, it’s those uniquely “only in Las Vegas” summer-league moments that will restore interest and enthusiasm in the event. It could be Holmgren going coast to coast for a highlight dunk, or it could be something as simple as embattled Nets forward Kevin Durant strolling onto the floor and taking a seat courtside (next to a preferred future teammate, perhaps).

Another factor that could make Vegas locals take notice is whirlwind rumors of NBA expansion, with the Valley as a prime landing spot. That’s one Hall has heard before, and figures to hear again over the next two weeks as league executives descend on the city.

Hall believes the Las Vegas Summer League has been instrumental in making the city a viable destination for an NBA franchise — and pro sports in general — even if it’s merely hypothetical for now.

“We’re not in those discussions, but we’re optimistic that summer league has been that benchmark to show the NBA can work here. We feel like summer league has softened the beach for the Raiders, for the Golden Knights, for the Aces.”

And if the NBA were to join the ranks of pro sports in Las Vegas at some point in the future, Hall is confident the summer league could continue on in something close to its current form and coexist with a permanent franchise in the city.

“I don’t know what that would mean for the summer league, but at the end of the day, we’re hopeful,” he said. “We’re doing a good job. You put in close to 20 years of doing it the right way, and hopefully, that means something. One thing we know is the NBA family is a tight-knit group and they tend to look out for each other when it comes to what’s best for the league. Hopefully, we would be in that equation.”

It's just another variable in making this an unsettled time for the Las Vegas Summer League, but once the games begin Thursday night and that first moment happens, Hall knows things are going to feel normal again.

“I think it’s back,” Hall said. “Getting back on calendar was huge. In 2019, this place was buzzing with Zion’s game, and we were super excited about ’20. And then the world changed. But I do feel that fans really appreciate this event. The city of Las Vegas has supported us over the last 18 years, and we couldn’t do it without the people that are here. This is their franchise. We think they’re going to come back out.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.