The NBA summer league is a set of five exhibition games run by the National Basketball Association. The games are played in July each year to give rookies and other prospects on NBA teams an opportunity to showcase their talent, and to prepare for the upcoming NBA season.
In this article we’ll discuss who plays in the NBA summer league and the format of the league as well as how games are played and matchup made. If you didn’t know already, you can make bets on your favorite teams, even in your own language – check out bet365 slovenija for example.
Who plays in the summer league?
Any player who is invited to try out for a team and makes the cut can play. That includes rookies who have just been drafted, players who were released by their franchise, or players looking to keep their NBA career going. Here you will mostly find rookies, sophomores and G league players. In most cases, a team will be allowed to field one or two teams (called “rosters”).
What is the format for the NBA Summer League?
All 30 teams compete in the NBA summer league in a series of four games. The two best teams based on their winning percentage get to advance to a championship matchup. The remaining 28 teams will then get a fifth and final game which is assigned to them based on several factors. According to the NBA the matchup is determined by factors such as team rivalries, broadcast interests or scheduling considerations. In case there is a tie between teams during the championship matchup then the matchup is determined by a series of tiebreakers.
The NBA summer league has been played since 2002. Prior to that, players would compete in other leagues during the summer. The first event was played in Long Beach, California at a beach park. The league has since changed venues each year and recently it has been moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where it remains now. On opening day, all 30 teams are paired into eight preliminary round games. Once selected, each team is placed in one of four tiers based on its record during the prior season. Tier 1 for the eight teams with the best records, Tier 2 for the next eight best records, Tier 3 for the next 16 best records and Tier 4 for the remaining teams. In subsequent rounds, which are played daily, each team is randomly paired against a team from its own tier for a single preliminary-round game. When one team advances from its first round matchup, the next game is paired randomly.
All 30 NBA teams send representatives to play in the summer league either as their own teams or as one of their affiliate teams. The league provides a chance for teams to gauge new players and their ability which will then determine their likelihood to play in the regular NBA season. In essence the league is the main event where draft players are gauged.