All four Utah Summer League teams will next compete in the Las Vegas Summer LeagueNBAE/getty images
The NBA's Utah Summer League "set a total attendance record," with Thursday's finale drawing 12,047 fans to bring the three-day total to 33,884 at Vivint Smart Home Arena, according to Landry Russell of Salt Lake City-based KTVX-ABC. The previous record was 31,751 in '15 when "summer basketball returned for the first time" since '08. All four Utah Summer League teams "will next compete" in the Summer League in Las Vegas that begins on Friday (GOOD4UTAH.com, 7/5). Meanwhile, the NBA Kings drew more than 50,000 total fans at Golden 1 Center for the inaugural California Classic, a three-day summer league showcase that concluded Thursday (Kings).
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS: In Chicago, Malika Andrews notes for the "first time since its inception," the NBA Vegas Summer League "will feature all 30 teams." Last year, a "single-day attendance record was set with a sellout crowd of 17,500 at the Thomas & Mack Center" during the second day of the event, which featured a Lakers-Celtics matchup. A total of 117,931 fans "attended over 10 days" at both Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. The NBA is "expecting another sellout this year." The league has "responded to the increased attendance by making the league more formal, expanding the number of teams and airing more games on national television." Last year’s showcase "featured 67 games over 10 days." To accommodate the extra teams this year, 82 games "will be played over 11 days" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/6). In Las Vegas, Justin Emerson notes the NBA this year has created the Budweiser Legends Lounge located at the end of Thomas & Mack Center -- a "high-end way of watching the games, and a ticket includes food, beverage and a Summer League program." The concourse "will include activities for fans, such as an autograph stage and pop-a-shot booths." At MGM Grand, the famous lion in the lobby "will be decorated with a Summer League jersey and banners of the 30 teams will be hung around it." It will be the "location for meet-and-greets throughout the week with guests to be determined" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 7/6).
