LAS VEGAS -- When Larry Bird and Magic Johnson brought their college rivalry to the NBA and fought the Finals that once aired on tape delay, they catapulted basketball into a worldwide sensation that'd roll uphill through Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Steph Curry into massive sneaker, cultural, video game and social media relevance. Basketball is so popular that even the NBA's two weeks of July scrimmages after the draft for a few top prospects and relative unknowns now broadcasts to ESPN, attracts stars and packs two arenas on the campus of UNLV. It helps that it's an excuse to go to Vegas.
Summer League's popularity also reflects the early exposure the internet provides to teenage prospects like Zion Williamson, Lonzo and LaMelo Ball, who garnered millions of followers and became household names before leaving high school. LeBron James once proved the exception to the rule, his 2003 summer debut at a UMass Boston showcase had many older spectators in Vegas reminiscing at how large the event had grown. Nearly 20 years later, he sat courtside notably apart from Russell Westbrook. Offseason storylines playing out on live TV.
While $15 gave Bostonians an early view of one of the greatest players ever beginning his NBA career, the secondary market price to see day-to-night action in Vegas rose over $50 this month. Small summer leagues that existed for various teams in Utah, Orlando and other locations evolved into the 30-team event each year. Commissioner Adam Silver said Summer League had a $125-million economic impact on the area over 10 days, selling 135,000 tickets and filling roughly 70,000 hotel rooms -- a larger event than the NBA All Star Game. The basketball itself ranges from snoozers to chaos to highly-anticipated battles between top prospects.
Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren faced off, the latest top draft prospects recognizable from their early high school days. Keegan Murray got the chance to guard them as well, while becoming the week's standout scorer. No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. made up for his offensive shortcomings with excellent defense on his fellow lottery selections. The Celtics, without their own first-round picks, pulled off the difficult task of building a team structure that their players can showcase themselves within. The thrown-together Summer League rosters usually revolve around one or two prospects surrounded by unfamiliar faces, leading to disjointed efforts and warped results given the five-game schedule and quick leadup to it. Especially for a Finals team like Boston.
"When you're preparing to go out to Summer League, you have a short timeframe to put everything together conceptually from an offensive standpoint and a defensive standpoint," Celtics assistant coach Ben Sullivan said in reply to a Boston Sports Journal question earlier this month. "The goal really is can we collectively, individually and as a team put our best foot forward and try to accomplish something together and within that framework, if everyone's pulling in the same direction, I think it helps them, it helps their careers if they can all go out there and accomplish something together."
The Celtics finished 3-2 and stood out as a cohesive unit. Second-round selection JD Davison built pick-and-roll chemistry alongside older center Mfiondu Kabengele. Brodric Thomas and Juhann Begarin added layers of secondary playmaking. Sam Hauser and Matt Ryan, in two games before going down with injuries, provided perimeter shooting before veteran wing Justin Jackson stepped into their role, arriving late from time with family to rejoin the team that gave him a hardship exemption contract during the December COVID surge.
Rookie big man Trevion Williams, who provided key playmaking and helped accentuate Begarin's cutting, earned himself an Exhibit 10 contract with the Warriors despite Kabengele winning the battle for Boston's second two-way. Even older players like Aubrey Dawkins and Robert Franks, both long shots to make the NBA, filled two-way perimeter roles that helped the Celtics gel and let Davison hone his playmaking on his way to leading Summer League with 41 assists.
"I remember I saw a little bit of his high school clips, freak athlete, then he went to Alabama and he did a really good job," Kabengele, entering his fourth professional season, told BSJ. "The one thing that surprised me the most was how good of a ball-handler he was. I thought he was a two guard or a combo guard, but over here he's playing the one, bringing the ball up, handling the pressure like he did against Miami, so I feel like his ball-handling skills, with the athleticism, is a really good tool. All he's got to do is put the work in and he could really be somebody."
While reporters, scouts, aspiring talent evaluators, business students and trainers alike try to decipher which results matter, sometimes it's better to sit back and embrace the oddities, scenes and absurdities of Summer League. Bryton Hobbs, Jayson Tatum's cousin who last played professionally in 2018, took part in the Celtics' training camp. As did Chaminade alum Jericole Hellems, who ranks atop the school's all-time scorers with Tatum and Bradley Beal. Tatum showed up with a tan and St. Louis cap, sitting court side with Ime Udoka, Brad Stevens and other Celtics executives, who nearly got taken out when Kabengele dove for a loose ball.
Summer League rules allow 10 personal fouls, and they're taken full advantage of. The Celtics and Bucks saw the scoreboard change twice in the fourth quarter in an all-time chaotic finish capped by Ryan's game-winner and post-game tears. Two games went to double overtime, which is decided by sudden death in Vegas, including an epic battle between Murray and Banchero's teams, and a messier Hornets-Lakers conclusion that featured shot fakes leading game-tying and go-ahead threes, before a three-point foul by the Lakers leading by three led to 2OT, which JT Thor won for the Hornets a three (Lawrence native L.J. Figueroa also shined for Charlotte).
The crowds share in the antics, fans sporting the most random jerseys imaginable and shuffling between thin walkways to bounce between the two gyms that host games simultaneously. The smaller Cox Pavilion has the feel of a high school gym, seats rising vertically and looming over the court with the closeness hear the game. A stairway carries players and their backpacks up from the locker rooms where they prepare beneath the bleachers. The entrance places you right on the baseline, close enough to catch a Tacko Fall blocked shot with the big man suiting up for Utah this summer. Crowds end up dazzled by individual performances as much as their teams, Cox erupting for both Sandro Mamukelashvili and Begarin's dunks late in Bucks-Celtics, with step-back threes, tight dribble moves and flashy passes all able to win over the audience.
A referee demanding that jump ball participants in one game stop moving got mimicked by the fans. Ja Morant stood animated along the sideline for each Grizzlies game. Grant Williams, Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton sparred along the same sidelines as Boston and Milwaukee battled (Grant later told BSJ that he and the Celtics have yet to engage in contract negotiations, with Jake Fischer later reporting that the Robert Williams III four-year, $48-million extension Keldon Johnson's four-years, $80-million could set his standard).
A man sporting a Syracuse Carmelo Anthony jersey actually sparred with someone, unloading punches into the fan in front of him and got ejected from the aforementioned Charlotte-LA game, catching the attention of players and spooking the broadcast booth. Speaking of the Orange, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim watched the Pistons' games as his sons Buddy Boeheim and Jimmy Boeheim played for former Cuse assistant and current Detroit GM Troy Weaver's summer team, Buddy earning a two-way deal.
Steve Smith was ready to go as a crowd fight broke out behind the NBA TV broadcast pic.twitter.com/cEJQMugX0p
— Brandon Contes (@BrandonContes) July 11, 2022
Former Celtic Aaron Nesmith appeared late in the week for the Pacers after the Malcolm Brogdon trade became official. He had been getting his mind off basketball in the weeks following the Finals when he received the call from Brad Stevens approaching the sixth hole on the golf course. The trade caught him off guard, but he appreciated the opportunity to land on a rising Indiana team where he could earn playing time. Nesmith appeared in three games for head coach Ronald Nored, a former Celtics assistant and player under Stevens at Butler, averaging 9.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 2.3 SPG on 27% shooting.
“I just took a step back,” Nesmith told BSJ. “Reevaluated everything that I needed to and created more clear-cut game plan, goals for myself and what I wanted for this upcoming season and where I see myself from the beginning to the end … be one of the best 3-and-D players in the league, become a better overall basketball player, get my shooting percentage back to where I know it’s supposed to be and becoming one of the best teammates I can be.”
Players end Summer League early with teams taking no chances with any injury. No. 5 overall pick Jaden Ivey rolled his ankle minutes into his second game. Banchero didn't last much longer. Pelicans rookie Dyson Daniels checked out just past the eight-minute mark of his debut. Shaedon Sharpe, who missed his freshman season at Kentucky injured, suffered a shoulder injury that the Trail Blazers announced won't require surgery. Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan entered COVID protocols in Summer League training camp, missing the entirety of the showcase after losing preparation time. E.J. Liddell, a Pelicans second-round pick from Ohio State, tore his ACL in the most devastating moment of this year's Summer League before he had signed with the team.
After the sun sets, cooling Vegas down from 110 to 90 degrees, crowds disperse from UNLV. Aside from Lakers fans who come in droves from nearby LA for the late games to hype up the team's latest young sensation (this year including Shareef O'Neal and Scotty Pippen Jr.), the strip becomes a fun people-watching event. You might catch Shams reporting from inside a casino, veterans rolling dice or team executives in line for parties. Silver quipped he can't actually do anything out and about in Vegas.
Few players, league personnel and reports stick around long enough for Summer League's championship game, played between the Knicks and Trail Blazers this year, awarding championship rings for the first time alongside the Vegas MVP award. Trendon Watford followed Brandon Clarke and Kyle Kuzma as recent championship game MVPs, while Murray joined Clarke, Lonzo, Kyle Anderson, Damian Lillard, Josh Selby, John Wall, Blake Griffin, Jerryd Bayless and Nate Robinson as past league MVPs. Summer League doesn't mean everything. Sometimes it means next to nothing. But nobody's complaining that it became an NBA institution.
"People that are saying that it's just summer league didn't win summer league," Denzel Valentine said after winning the 2016 Vegas championship with the Bulls. "Whoever is saying that, that's a losing mentality."
Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...
Atlanta: De'Andre Hunter still hasn't reached an extension agreement with the team, with a reported $20-million difference making it seem unlikely the two sides come to an agreement ahead of his restricted free agency next summer. Former Hawk Kyle Korver joined the organization from the Nets in a development role.
Boston: Mfiondu Kabengele won the Summer League big man battle and signed the team's second two-way contract alongside JD Davison. The duo should be a fun watch in Maine after regularly connecting for alley-oop finishes in Las Vegas. The team lost its $17.1-million trade exception as an avenue to solidify wing and center depth, but maintain $5.9-million and $6.9-million TPEs until the trade deadline.
Ime Udoka also began filling out his bench after Will Hardy departed, moving Joe Mazzulla to the top assistant spot and hiring Oregon women's basketball assistant coach Mike Moser into a developmental role left by new Utah assistant Evan Bradds. For those who can't wait for the Celtics to return, Danilo Gallinari told CLNS Media he's competing for Italy in September's EuroBasket tournament.
Brooklyn: All is quiet on the Kevin Durant front, according to Brian Windhorst, with no suitor able to afford the asking price. It's still unclear why Durant demanded a trade earlier this month, his agent only confirming that he did indeed ask for one. It'd be easier to imagine him reuniting with Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn next year alongside Ben Simmons if his demand came in defense of Irving's lack of a long-term extension. If he asked out to escape Irving and a tumultuous Nets situation, it'll be captivating to see what he does when training camp begins.
Charlotte: Free agent forward Miles Bridges pleaded not guilty to three felony domestic violence charges in Los Angeles. Prosecutors charged Bridges with one count of injuring a child's parent and two counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 19. The Hornets, Bridges' team since 2018, released a statement saying they're aware of the charges, calling them serious, before declining to comment further. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 11 years and eight months if Bridges is convicted, according to the Associated Press.
Cleveland: Rookie Isaiah Mobley, the older brother of Cavaliers star Evan Mobley, primarily landed with the Cavaliers due to that familial connection. He'll play on a two-way contract this season after an intriguing Summer League capped by 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Hawks. Isaiah averaged 8.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.0 APG and 1.0 BPG, but struggled to shoot at 33.3% from the field. Chris Fedor notes the team has real aspirations for the 22-year-old.
Detroit: Isaiah Livers did enough to stake his claim for a starting role on the Pistons, according to Keith Langlois, averaging 14.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 1.0 BPG in two Summer League performances and shooting 38.5% from three. Marvin Bagley III and new addition Alec Burks are in the mix too, alongside former Celtic Kelly Olynyk. Livers, the 6-7, 232-pound, No. 42 overall pick in the 2021 draft from Michigan, signed a three-year, $4.5-million deal last summer. The Pistons are $6.8-million beneath the cap before they either waive or stretch Kemba Walker, who's currently the team's 15th player awaiting his official release and the Kevin Knox signing.
Golden State: Championship celebrations and roster building continued for the Warriors just over one month after they beat the Celtics in the Finals. Steph Curry hosted the ESPYs, poking fun at LeBron James, the Lakers and the Celts. Elsewhere, Bob Myers signed Mac McLung, Quinndary Weatherspoon and rookie Celtics center Trevion Williams after strong Summer League performances. JaMychal Green is reportedly poised to join them after the Thunder release him, a key replacement for Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr.
Myers pointed toward Golden State steering clear of a Kevin Durant reunion, unsurprising given the team's title pedigree and the high asking price. Warriors players had reportedly discussed and embraced a hypothetical Durant return. Owner Joe Lacob, on a podcast appearance with Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner, decried the league's luxury tax system, earning himself a $500,000 fine, which Iguodala apologized for at the ESPYs.
Houston: Eric Gordon long outlasted his teammates from the end of the James Harden era, earning a high asking price after a rejuvenated 2022 season where he averaged 13.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 2.7 APG while shooting 47.5% from the field and 41.2% from three. Gordon, 34 next season, is signed for $19.6-million before a non-guaranteed $20.9-million year in 2023-24. That proved too rich for Boston's trade exception, but it could become a last resort for the Lakers, Adrian Wojnarowski noted, as they aim higher with a future first-round pick for now. More on them below.
Indiana/Lakers: The Russell Westbrook saga is taking center stage as the rest of the NBA offseason winds down. Multiple sources reported that the Pacers and Lakers discussed a Buddy Hield and Myles Turner trade, but it's dead due to LA's unwillingness to attach a second first-round pick (2027/2029). The trade makes some sense from a Pacers perspective, though Westbrook likely wouldn't factor on a team that wants the ball in Tyrese Haliburton's hands as often as possible. Indiana could also potentially use Myles Turner after failing to sign Deandre Ayton with its offer sheet. He enters free agency next summer, though, and it's unclear how he'll react to the team's attempt to replace him after multiple past attempts to trade him.
LA's unwillingness to attach multiple picks in this deal or a hypothetical Kyrie Irving one makes such little sense it's hard to believe that's all that's preventing these deals. The Westbrook situation is so tenuous, after he and his agent parted ways, that bringing him back seems untenable. It'd almost make more sense to trade LeBron James than run it back with the same core that won 33 games and missed the play-in tournament.
Clippers: The Clippers will unsurprisingly make Reggie Jackson and offseason addition John Wall battle for the starting point guard role. Wall, who signed a two-year, $13.3-million deal with a team option in 2023-24, hasn't played a NBA game since April 23, 2021 and only appeared in 40 games over the last three seasons since he tore his achilles in 2019, though he effectively rested and trained through 2021-22 in an agreement with Houston to sit and allow younger teammates to play. Jackson, a Clippers starter in all 75 appearances last season, averaged 16.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 4.8 APG on 39.2% shooting. If Wall can scratch the surface of his former self, he'd transform an offense full of primary scorers as an excellent creator. The team also celebrated progress on its new arena in Inglewood set to open for the 2024-25 season.
Memphis: After LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan teamed up for a landmark performance in LA's famous Drew League, a Memphis area pro-am league is hoping to make its own name for itself and could pull from an increasingly relevant basketball city between University of Memphis and Grizzlies players.
Miami: The Heat enter an interesting season after a summer of stargazing where key rotation players Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, among others, saw their names in trade rumors as Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell became available. Adebayo shrugged off the reports while addressing the team's offseason, and Zach Lowe profiled the polarized view of Herro around the league. Still a talented young player with all-star aspirations, it's less clear if Miami could offer him as a centerpiece in a trade for a star as he remains extension-eligible this summer. Jake Fischer reported Herro will command a max contract extension or offer sheet next summer. Once the summer activity ends, there's optimism the two sides come to a deal.
Milwaukee: The Bucks had an exciting Summer League, especially for a team that's largely sacrificed its future draft capital to win now. First-round pick MarJon Beauchamp, a key selection for an increasingly expensive roster during one of the off years where the team's pick swap didn't convey to New Orleans, averaged 12.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 1.0 BPG while shooting 45.8% from three. He projects to grow into the 3-and-D player the team lacked against the Celtics in their second-round loss. Sandro Mamukelashvili, Milwaukee's two-way center from last season, made the Summer League first team averaging 17.0 PPG and 8.8 RPG, while Lindell Wigginton earned his new deal with the team and second-team status with18.2 PPG on 46.2% three-point shooting.
Minnesota: Karl-Anthony Towns called next season championship or bust as the Timberwolves addressed his extension and Towns received his first opportunity to react to the Rudy Gobert trade.
"I expect a lot of winning, for sure," Towns said. "I want to win. I'm not up here just blowing smoke. I really want to try to bring a championship right here to Minnesota. I think Rudy adds a huge component to that. He's gonna be a massive part of us being a championship team. My job is to help him as much as he's going to help me. His strengths are my weaknesses and his weaknesses are my strengths, so we'll be able to play off of each other."
New Orleans: Zion Williamson's personal chef Christian Green told NOLA.com the plan the pair have created to set up a healthy return to the floor for the Pelicans star who has infamously battled weight and injury issues early in his career. Green said Williamson cut carbs and sugars, transitioning to a paleo diet focused on grains, fruit and meat. Williamson had been rumored to have weighed over 300 pounds in October, with conflicting reports following about where he stood into the season. Various dunking videos in the spring pointed toward what Green confirmed, that Zion is now healthy after his foot fracture and will get even healthier into the fall.
New York: The Knicks made an odd, controversial decision to ban media and questions from Jalen Brunson's introductory press conference, whether due to a potential tampering investigation regarding the Brunson addition or reported discussions between New York and Utah on a Donovan Mitchell trade. New York even received criticism from NBA Today on ESPN, a television partner of the league. Brunson said he never thought he'd leave the Mavericks, but his former team never received a final meeting. He acknowledged the family-like connection to Knicks president Leon Rose, his former agent, whose son Sam currently represents Brunson. New York also recently hired Rick Brunson, Jalen's father and former NBA player, as an assistant.
Philadelphia: The 76ers announced plans for a $1.3-billion in Center City that could be completed in 2031 when the team's lease at Wells Fargo Center concludes, which they share with the NHL's Flyers. Josh Harris, the team's managing partner, committed to privately funding the arena alongside several investment partners. Some residents and leaders in nearby Chinatown came out against the development plan. This season, Philadelphia could get an early meeting against former 76er Ben Simmons, with the Sixers scheduled to visit the Nets for an Oct. 3 preseason game.
Phoenix: Adam Silver announced that the NBA's investigation into Suns owner Robert Sarver is in its last stage, an inquiry that began in November following an ESPN investigation into racism, misogyny and an overall toxic work environment allegedly overseen and perpetuated by Sarver. Sarver attended Devin Booker's contract extension signing and the NBA's board of governor meeting at Las Vegas Summer League.
Sacramento: Keegan Murray won Summer League MVP, the second Kings player in a row to take home the award after Davion Mitchell. Murray, the surprising No. 4 overall pick in the draft, thrived throughout his four Las Vegas appearances and averaged 23.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.3 SPG on 50% FG and 40% 3PT. The Kings, out of the postseason since 2006, suddenly became intriguing with their lottery rise, the first full season of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis playing together and additions like Malik Monk, Kevin Huerter and KZ Okpala. They look better than the Lakers right now, for whatever that's worth.
Utah: The early Donovan Mitchell trade talks could take time to grow into an eventual deal, Adrian Wojnarowski notes, unsurprising given the gravity of moving on from a star with three years remaining under team control. The Durant and Mitchell sweepstakes have stalled the late stages of free agency and the NBA offseason, as everyone awaits how dramatically both moves could shift power and opportunities in the league. The Knicks still feel inevitable as his landing spot, with the Jazz able to leverage New York's desperation for a star and the Knicks able to flex their unmatched total of future draft picks and young players they can offer. It's a dream pair.
Washington: The Wizards hired James Posey, the former Celtics forward and a major contributor on the 2008 championship team, as an assistant coach. He had been serving as an assistant for the University of Virginia's women's team and previously coached on the Cavaliers' staff from 2014-2019.