‘The NBA’s Coachella’: how Summer League became an unmissable event

I’ve never been on the surface of the sun, but I’d imagine it doesn’t feel too dissimilar from Las Vegas in the middle of July. The heat can only be described as oppressive, a sense of urgency to reach the safety of air conditioning assaults you the second you step into it, and you can feel anything on your person that’s made of a plastic-like material warping and deforming in real time.

The irony is, of course, that the metaphorical side to the “close proximity to a star” coin is also what makes summer in Vegas so alluring … for basketball fans, at least. Because for 10 days every July, the entire NBA extended cinematic universe descends upon Sin City for the most stress-free, jovial and widely attended event on the league’s annual calendar: Las Vegas Summer League.

Diehard NBA fans are no doubt familiar with the event, where rookies, third-stringers, G League players hopeful to make the leap and undrafted diamonds in the rough representing all 30 teams play in a series of games that ultimately have no impact on regular-season records. But even those familiar with the competition might not understand what makes it so special. The games, as it turns out, are sort of the least crucial facet: the basketball being played, after all, is hardly at the highest level. But it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that anyone who’s anyone in the world of the NBA is in Vegas for Summer League. That means players (yes, even the biggest stars), coaches, execs, media and even ownership show up to schmooze in the Mojave.

Lebron, a billionaire, packing a ziplock bag of his own snacks from home at summer league is amazing. pic.twitter.com/LHJk14bJjT

When I asked my media colleagues what they love about Summer League, the answers varied