NBA’s Vegas Summer League returns after 1-year hiatus

July 1, 2020 was the day reality began to set in for Albert Hall. That’s when he realized the crown jewel of his company — the NBA’s Vegas Summer League — wouldn’t happen.

At least not in 2020.

“It was a really hard day for me,’” said Hall, who co-founded the event in 2004, ensuring an annual NBA presence every summer in Las Vegas. “But we got through it, just like everything else. You just try and find ways. For us, it was, ‘When do we start the planning for the next one?’ Just the apprehension and not knowing, that was tough.”

Hall and fellow co-founder Warren LeGarie managed to power through the void that last year left in their operation and are eager to welcome the NBA and its fans back to Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion for Vegas Summer League once again.

The 10-day hoopfest begins Sunday and will conclude Aug. 17 with the championship game.

All 30 NBA teams are participating, and top draws include Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes and Jalen Suggs, all of whom were drafted last month in the top five.

“Summer league is always about hope and optimism. Every team is undefeated before the play. Every team comes in with the belief ‘We’re going to be this. We’re going to be that,’” LeGarie said. “That’s the thing that drives us. … No matter what, our league is still about stars of tomorrow, today.”

That optimism waned last year as the COVID-19 pandemic surged, forcing a stoppage of the NBA 2019-20 season and putting months of planning in flux for Hall and LeGarie. They’d hoped some type of fall league would be plausible after the league concluded its year in a sterile, bubble setting in the Orlando area.

But the scheduling didn’t make sense and the two tabled plans, eyeing a return in 2021 instead.

“It’s like not having a life. No matter what, you incorporate (Vegas Summer League) into your yearly schedule,” LeGarie said. “It’s something that we expect to do. It’s a source of pride. There’s a lot of honor in this. … It’s tough. It’s a lot harder to go through than you realize.”

LeGarie’s optimism resurfaced, though, during the All-Star break in March, when COVID-19 vaccines became readily available and franchises began allowing limited fans to attend games. The planning process was truncated, but LeGarie said the NBA “felt as if (Vegas Summer League) was something from a health standpoint, that could be done.”

He also explained that NBA teams hoped to participate this summer in Vegas Summer League so they could evaluate their rookie class and second-year prospects, having not been able to do so last summer.

With that in mind, Hall and LeGarie worked in conjunction with the NBA and its television partners to identify dates for this year’s event. A preliminary announcement was made in May, with a more formal announcement following in June.

“This year, less is more,” Hall said. “If we can do what we do well, not throw a lot of wrinkles in there and just keep everybody safe, that’s our primary goal.”

Spectators will be required to wear facemasks inside the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. LeGarie said he may consider eliminating some seating as a way to create more safe space for spectators and league personnel: “Sacrifices that are necessary for things to be successful.”

But masks and seating arrangements aside, the league will go on as normal.

Games all day in one arena and games all day in the other.

“We want to be safe. We want to have a great environment … but also the extra effort to make sure we’re safe,” Hall said. “I always feel better when the ball is up in the air. Once we’re playing and we’re hooping, that’s when everything starts to feel special.”

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.