4 things to watch in 20th year of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas

Albert Hall remembers how empty Thomas &Mack Center was 20 years ago.

The NBA Summer League first came to Las Vegas in 2004. Only six teams took part.

The event wasn’t short on notable names, though. The Orlando Magic were the top draw with No. 1 overall pick Dwight Howard.

The Boston Celtics also brought players that later helped them win a championship in 2008 like Kendrick Perkins, Rajon Rondo and Tony Allen. Hall still needed help to fill seats.

“As I joke, we had six handshakes and a box of fliers,” said Hall, one of the original founders of the NBA’s annual summer showcase. “We had to put inflatable people in the stands. Now, we have something that people are interested in.”

The NBA Summer League turns 20-years-old when games begin Friday at Thomas &Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. What started as six teams showcasing their young players has turned into an 11-day spectacle with all 30 teams showing off the next generation of NBA talent.

In the years since the event came to Las Vegas, Blake Griffin dazzled with highlight-reel dunks in 2009, Damian Lillard wowed the masses with his unlimited range in 2012 and Zion Williamson dropped jaws before a 7.1-magnitude earthquake from Southern California ended Day 1 early in 2019.

“We keep making it better and integrating it as we go,” Hall said.

The NBA Summer League has remained a mainstay even as Las Vegas has developed into a sports capital thanks to the arrival of the Golden Knights, Aces and Raiders.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said prior to the start of the NBA Finals in June that the league would explore expanding from 30 teams once it wrapped up its new media rights deals.

The NBA finalized those Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. That means Las Vegas and Seattle, two long-rumored expansion destinations, could soon get their chance to get in the game.

Hall said the NBA Summer League’s impact in the city, from an economic and social standpoint, can only get better if the league brings a 31st — or 32nd — team to Las Vegas.

The NBA’s footprint in town grew last season when T-Mobile Arena hosted the semifinals and championship game of the league’s inaugural in-season tournament. The event — now called the NBA Cup — will return to the venue this year, with the semifinals taking place Dec. 14 and the championship game being held Dec. 17.

“We all know Vegas has star power. Vegas has sizzle,” Hall said. “If that team were to come, that’s going to provide a whole other set of sellable items. It’s going to bring in a lot of people.”

The NBA Summer League is already doing a good job bringing the league’s fans to town. Here are four things to watch for this year:

1. Bronny arrives

The Los Angeles Lakers are always a top NBA Summer League draw given their popularity and proximity to Las Vegas. It also helps to have LeBron James on the roster.

His son now gets to wear a Lakers jersey as well.

Bronny James, the 55th overall pick in June’s draft out of Southern California, is expected to make his Las Vegas debut Friday when his team faces the Houston Rockets at 4:30 p.m. at Thomas &Mack Center. The Rockets are led by guard Reed Sheppard, the third overall pick.

James made two appearances for the Lakers during the California Classic Summer League and finished with seven points, seven rebounds and five assists in 50:30 of action. All eyes will be on the son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer as he keeps working on his game in Las Vegas.

2. French connection

Zaccharie Risacher became the second consecutive French player to get picked first in the draft when the Atlanta Hawks selected him in June.

Fellow France native Alex Sarr was next off the board to the Washington Wizards in a historic night for the country.

Now, those two players will square off at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Thomas &Mack Center.

Fans hoping to see one or both play during the event would be wise to get tickets. Most top prospects don’t play more than a few games.

3. Champs arrive

Another marquee matchup will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday at Thomas &Mack Center between the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers.

Each team took a member of the back-to-back national champion Connecticut Huskies with its first pick of the draft. The Spurs took guard Stephon Castle fourth overall, while the Trail Blazers selected center Donovan Clingan seventh.

The longtime teammates get to start the next phase of their basketball careers against each other. It should be a can’t-miss matchup.

4. Local connection

One player on the Dallas Mavericks roster should be familiar with the NBA Summer League venues.

UNLV guard Justin Webster is playing for the Mavericks, and his first game will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Cox Pavilion against the Utah Jazz.

Webster, a Dallas native, averaged 7.5 points per game for the Rebels last season.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.