When the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League convenes on July 6, much of the NBA world will be involved. For the first time, the event in Sin City will host all 30 of the league’s teams and, after a record-breaking year in 2017, there is a ton of anticipation for the festivities, especially when considering this year’s rookie class is loaded with talent.
With that in mind, the good folks with the Sacramento Kings elected to start a four-team gathering of their own in 2018 and, in short, it looks to be a smashing success. ESPN’s Chris Haynes brings word that the first two days of basketball sold out at the Golden 1 Center, which houses the Kings on a full-time basis.
For second consecutive day, the California NBA Summer League Classic is a sellout at Golden 1 Center. Tickets already limited for July 5th. Sacramento Kings hosting an amazing tournament in its inaugural season.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 4, 2018
This is a remarkable accomplishment given the sheer size of the venue and the fact that, well, these games don’t “matter’ from a standings perspective. It undoubtedly helps that the Kings just drafted Marvin Bagley III with the No. 2 overall pick and the Lakers have a massive fan base that is willing to travel to see their young players in action. Still, this kind of traction wasn’t necessarily anticipated in year one and Bagley is the only 2018 lottery pick involved, given the presence of the Lakers, Warriors and Heat to round out the quartet of teams.
The Orlando Summer League is no more but, with this Sacramento iteration and a strong product in Utah (featuring Trae Young, Jaren Jackson Jr. and others this year), the interest in on-court NBA basketball is apparent in early July and things will only ratchet up another notch when the Vegas action commences.
