NBA Summer League successful for all involved

Other than Greg Oden's inflamed tonsils and Yi Jianlian's code of silence, things could not have gone better for Warren LeGarie.

The Bay Area sports agent, who started the Vegas Summer League four years ago, partnered with the NBA this year to yield record attendance and heightened interest, with 22 teams playing in two venues. LeGarie said it won't be easy to top the 10-day run that concluded Sunday at Cox Pavilion and the Thomas & Mack Center.

But LeGarie said that won't stop him from trying to improve the NBA Summer League for 2008.

"For the first time, we feel we had an established event and we feel like we're part of the community," LeGarie said Sunday. "(Locals) really embraced it."

The NBA also was happy with its partnership with LeGarie, who was paid an undisclosed sum by the league to run the event.

"From our standpoint, it was a phenomenal success," said Gail Hunter, the NBA's summer league liaison. "Between all the exposure it got from the national media and the local support, we're very pleased. Our Web site had a lot of traffic, and our goal for next year is to give it more exposure."

This year's 10 sessions, which totaled 55 games, attracted an average of 3,481 fans. In 2006, attendance averaged 2,100 for nine sessions and 40 games.

LeGarie said having the two venues holding games simultaneously with such easy access back and forth for the fans was the highlight of the event.

"That was groundbreaking for the summer," LeGarie said of using two gyms. "Everyone loved it because it gave people an option. If the game they were watching wasn't what they wanted, they could check out the other game. Once people caught on to the concept, there was a lot of traffic."

It also helped that 11 of the top 14 draft picks participated.

The much-anticipated showdown between Oden and Kevin Durant on Sunday failed to take place when Oden, the overall No. 1 pick of the Portland Trail Blazers, pulled out of the summer league after two games to have his tonsils removed. But Durant, the No. 2 overall selection by the Seattle SuperSonics, played in four of the five games and had his best effort against Golden State on Friday, scoring 32 points.

LeGarie said there will continue to be a foreign presence in the summer league. Team China went 1-4 with Yi, the first-round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks who chose to play for his country instead, kept off-limits to the media.

The Chinese squad likely will be replaced in 2008 by a team of top players from the Euroleague. With two floors available, the league could expand further from its current 21 NBA teams.