NBA Las Vegas Summer League
DETAILS:
Location: Thomas and Mack Center & COX Pavilion @ The University of Nevada Las Vegas - 4505 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89154
Hours of Operation: For the 2019 Season; July 5th thru July 15th. Game times vary per team. See websites below (under “resources”) for schedule.
Parking: Free parking at the Thomas and Mack Center.
Cost (for 2019):
Single Day General Admission: $35 Adult / $25 Children & Seniors (tickets allow entry to all games played that day)
Single Day Reserved Section: $125
Season Pass General Admission (good for all games played throughout the Summer League schedule): $385
Time Commitment: One game last approximately 2 hours, but your ticket grants you access to all games played that day, so depending on how many games you want to watch, it can be an all day activity.
Miscellaneous: Ticket fees are pretty ridiculous. For my single day general admission ticket, I had to pay another $17 in fees & taxes. The Thomas and Mack Center is a college basketball stadium so every seat is pretty decent. Most of the seating during summer league is general admission, so you can work your way down pretty close to the court as seats open up. We sat 2nd row behind one the benches for most of the day we went. Typical stadium food (and prices) available.
Since 2004, the newest wave of NBA superstars descend on Sin City every July to begin (or prolong) their professional basketball careers. Held shortly after each year’s amateur draft, the NBA Summer League is actually conducted in several cities with various teams participating in Sacramento and Salt Lake City, but Las Vegas (somewhat obviously) represents the league’s marquee location with all 30 teams attending for the second year a row.
As if you needed any more reason to head to Las Vegas, the NBA Summer League truly represents your last opportunity to see tomorrow’s stars up close and personal at a discounted price. $35 (plus fees) gets you a general admission ticket which allows you to sit in pretty much any open seat in the stadium (some sections are reserved for media, team guests, & VIP access). For example, we actually worked our way down to second row seats behind the bench of my hometown Chicago Bulls which was pretty amazing, and since my last name isn’t Zuckerberg or Bezos, I’m pretty sure it’ll be the closest I ever sit at an NBA game. To be fair, most rosters are filled with rookies and second year players who will never see the floor in a regular season NBA game (they might play in the NBA D-League or overseas if they’re lucky), but since the Summer League is also meant to showcase each year’s top draft picks, you’ll most definitely be watching the next Kevin Durant, Steph Curry & Giannis Antetokounmpo as well, all of whom are Summer League alums. And it won’t be long until players from this year’s crop like Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and RJ Barrett become household names too.
Games in Las Vegas are played on two courts; the Thomas and Mack Center and the Cox Pavilion. The two are connected by a short hallway so getting back and forth is not an issue. The Thomas and Mack Center is the headline venue and looks like your typical basketball stadium whereas the Cox Pavilion is more “Field House” style and will make you feel like you’re at a high school game which presents the novel experience of watching NBA talent play in that kind of environment. There are typically 10 games played each day and your ticket gains you entry into every single one of them, so you can binge on basketball all day long if your heart desires (we made it through 4 games).
And if watching the future of the NBA isn’t good enough for you, I guarantee that you’ll notice plenty of today’s stars in attendance as well since many of them have come to Vegas to watch their newest teammates in action and just generally be seen on scene in order to improve their Q-Rating. This year’s crowd included megastars such as LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Chris Paul. And for those Chicago fans out there, Zach Lavine and several other current Bulls were there to support their summer league brethren the night we attended. Finally, just like spring training for professional baseball, Las Vegas presents the best chance for you to meet your favorite and soon-to-be favorite players since the atmosphere during Summer League is much more relaxed and players are a little more inclined to interact with their fans. It wasn’t uncommon to see rookies and veterans alike signing autographs and taking pictures throughout the stadium. All in all, the Las Vegas Summer League provides a great experience to watch NBA basketball in a new and more intimate context. If only the blackjack tables had cooperated, it would’ve been the perfect trip.
