NBA Summer League nets sizeable impact for Las Vegas

The nearly two-week Las Vegas NBA Summer League is nothing but net for the city.

This year’s summer league is expected to generate a $280 million economic impact for the city, accounting for 133,000 room nights in Las Vegas, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said during a Tuesday news conference.

The event is a big draw with thousands of fans making the trip to Sin City each year to watch the action. Droves of team and league personnel are also in town to ensure the event is a successful one.

The 11-day event includes 75 games showcasing the top rookies including Dallas Mavericks No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, to second-year players trying to prove themselves — including the Los Angeles Lakers’ Bronny James, to NBA journeymen looking to get another crack at the league.

As Las Vegas vies for a potential expansion team, Silver said he considers the city as the league’s 31st team, with its summer league ties and status as a host city for the NBA Cup semifinals and championship.

“It feels like we do have an enormous presence here in Las Vegas,” Silver said Tuesday.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority sponsored this year’s summer league to the tune of $600,000.

A record 550 media members were also credentialed for this year’s event, with broadcasts occurring in 76 national telecasts coming out of the Summer League, via the ESPN networks and NBA TV.

The Las Vegas NBA Summer League kicked off July 10 and runs through Sunday, wh two consolantion games and the championship are slated to be played.

With how summer league has grown over its 21 years in Las Vegas, LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill said the event’s draw is tough to fully measure in numbers. Over the first few days this year, notable figures seen in the crowd included NBA superstars LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, Minnesota Timberwolves co-owner and former MLB great Alex Rodriguez and actor Jason Sudeikis.

“For visitation in the summer is great, but event visitation also includes all the athletes and celebrities that are around the event,” Hill said. “When we do economic impact calculations we don’t really have the ability to say ‘Well, Allen Iverson is in town, he’s probably spending more than $200 per day.’ Which is kind of how that calculation works.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.