The NBA’s Summer League is just around the corner! Within a matter of days, basketball fans will finally have games to watch again. While they won’t be as high-impact as the 2024 NBA playoffs were, the summer league offers a first glimpse at rookies in the 2024 NBA Draft class. It also serves as a chance for NBA sophomores to improve their game, and for guys on the fringe of the league to make a name for themselves.
However, the summer league isn’t just limited to what fans think it is. In fact, the summer league doesn’t just take place in Las Vegas, but in multiple places on the West Coast. Better yet, these games start tomorrow (July 6th), meaning you don’t have to wait until July 12th to watch basketball again! Here are the three NBA Summer Leagues:
Explaining the Three NBA Summer Leagues
3. The Summer League Before Summer League
When people think about summer league, they tend to think of what’s known as the “NBA 2k25 Summer League.” This is the main event that happens in Las Vegas, spanning from July 12-22. However, there are summer league games played before the “official summer league.” These games are the “California Classic Summer League”, and only six teams take part: The Heat, Hornets, Kings, Lakers, Spurs, and Warriors. There’s also a team from China that plays, an exciting chance to see NBA teams take on foreign competition. Those don’t come around too often, so they’re always fun to watch.
The California Classic takes place in two different places, and crazy enough, they’re both in California. The two cities are Sacramento and San Francisco, high-priced NBA markets. There will be plenty of people watching these games, as high-profile Lakers rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James will be playing. The games start tomorrow (July 6th) at 4:30 PM ET, so definitely tune in if you have a chance. However, as exciting as the California Classic is…there’s another summer league that happens before the “official summer league.”
2. The Second Round
Aside from the California Classic, there’s also the Salt Lake City Summer League, which runs from July 8th to 10th. Hosted by the Utah Jazz, the teams featured include the Jazz, Grizzlies, Thunder, and 76ers. High-profile rookies are also participating in this summer matchup, as we’ll get to see Naismith Player of the Year Zach Edey face off against social media sensation Jared McCain. Other prominent rookies that will be featured include Utah’s Cody Williams and Kyle Filipowski.
1. The “Real” NBA Summer League
As previously mentioned, the NBA 2K25 Summer League takes place from July 12-22, in Las Vegas. All 30 NBA teams will be participating, and the games aren’t just for exhibition; there’s a summer league championship they’re competing for and a trophy to be hoisted at the end of the competition. 76 games will be played over the 11 days that the summer league is being held, and it’s going to be very exciting. Here’s how the format of the summer league works:
Every team plays at least five summer league games, so there is a minimum window for teams to evaluate and analyze their rosters. After every team has played four games, the top four teams will advance into the playoffs. Unlike the NBA playoffs, where over half the teams from each conference make it into the playoffs, only 13.3% of teams make the summer league playoffs. There will be a semifinal doubleheader on July 21st, and the two winners of those games will duke it out in the summer league championship. The championship game will take place at 9 PM ET on July 22nd.
Here are some of the more exciting matchups happening in the first few days of summer league:
July 12:
Timberwolves (Rob Dillingham) vs. Pelicans (Yves Missi) 5:00 PM ET
Lakers (Knecht and James) vs. Rockets (Reed Sheppard) 7:30 PM ET
Hawks (Zaccharie Risacher) vs. Wizards (Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington) 9:00 PM ET
July 13:
Spurs (Stephon Castle) vs. Blazers (Donovan Clingan) 9:00 PM ET
