One of the biggest events on the NBA calendar has become Las Vegas Summer League. Every year, in the weeks following the NBA Draft, all of the league’s top executives, coaches, scouts and media members congregate in Las Vegas for 10 days as recently-drafted rookies, other young players and unproven veterans fight for roster spots in a mini league and tournament.
It has become a massive section of the league calendar as it is one of the only times during the year where nearly everyone important is in the same place. It usually takes place somewhere between the first and second week of July, when free agency is still at its peak, leading to even more intrigue for fans.
And the 2024 dates have finally been set, with the summer event getting pushed back one week, via NBA communications:
NBA Summer League is set to take place July 12-22 in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/pUBp6yztOq
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 9, 2024
No reason has been stated as to why it is being pushed back one week, but it’s likely so that the start date — usually a Friday — does not come too close to the Fourth of July. This shouldn’t make a major difference in terms of the league itself, but may affect how many free agent deals get done while at Summer League.
Most free agent deals are already agreed to by July 12, but the stage could be set for blockbuster trades — which usually don’t happen until late July or early August — to take place in the desert.
LeBron James discusses ways to fix NBA All-Star Game
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was voted as one of the captains for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, marking his 20th appearance, which is currently a league record.
However, the game could hardly be called one as the two teams played no defense and allowed each other to score at will. The Eastern Conference would end up prevailing, beating the Western Conference 211-186 in a largely lifeless contest.
The 211 points that the East dropped is an All-Star Game record, though NBA Commissioner Adam Silver didn’t sound too happy with the result. Numerous people have suggested tweaks need to be made to the game, but James believes it’s a complex issue.
“I don’t know,” James said. “I think it’s something we need to figure out. Where is the median? This is what a lot of the games are starting to look like too. We wanted to get more pace into the games. We wanted to get more shots. We wanted the game to be more free flowing. We stopped letting the game — be freedom of movement, a lot of freedom of movement now. That’s what our games are like in the regular season now.
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