Opening night at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas has turned into an annual spectacle, and this year will be no different. Cooper Flagg’s debut is coming — against Bronny James, no less.
Flagg, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, and the Dallas Mavericks will open summer play Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers, always a huge draw in Las Vegas, have 2024 second-round pick Bronny James — the son of NBA scoring king LeBron James — on their summer roster.
The game at UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center will be packed. Plenty of NBA players and personnel will be there. Some courtside tickets are being listed on the secondary resale market at more than $3,000 a pop, and per Vivid Seats, the average ticket price is $223, with the cheapest offering the remaining $84 general admission tickets. StubHub is priced similarly, with the cheapest ticket at $86, and ranging all the way up to $1,066 each for 100-level seats.
All this, mind you, for an exhibition game where the outcome is almost certain to be forgotten within a few days.
“I’m excited,” Flagg said. “I’ve been in the gym with the guys, and I’m excited to just get out there, get back on the court, play some 5-on-5.”
It will be a circus atmosphere for Mavericks-Lakers and Day 1 of the full-fledged, 30-team Summer League — other smaller summer leagues in Utah and California wrapped up earlier this week — is certain to be announced as a sellout.
The scene will likely resemble what awaited Victor Wembanyama for his San Antonio debut in 2023 (hundreds of people gathered around the tunnel with their phones out to grab a photo or video of him simply coming out for warmups that night) or Zion Williamson’s debut in 2019 with New Orleans — when an earthquake centered in California shook Las Vegas enough for play to be stopped early for the night.
“I just want to go out, show I’ve improved, show I’ve gotten better,” Flagg said.
One reason for the high ticket prices? A general lack of access to players like Flagg during the Summer League. If form from past years hold, don’t expect the high draft picks — like Flagg, No. 2 pick Dylan Harper of San Antonio, No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe of Philadelphia and No. 4 pick Kon Kneuppel of Charlotte — to play in all five games for their teams in Las Vegas.
It’s not uncommon for those top picks to be shut down after playing a game or two. Edgecombe was dealing with a mild thumb contusion and missed the final two games of Philadelphia’s three-game run in Utah.
The NBA Summer League starts Thursday and runs through a championship game on July 20. All teams will play a four-game regular season, and then the top four teams will head to the playoffs for a semifinal game on July 19 and the title game one day later.
The 26 teams that don’t make the playoffs will be matched up for one last game, a consolation bracket of sorts.
All teams will play at least five games in Las Vegas; the championship-game qualifiers will play six.
Quarters are 10 minutes long, instead of the usual 12 for NBA games. Nobody fouls out until they commit their 10th foul, instead of the usual six-and-you’re-out rule. Overtimes are two minutes, not the usual five.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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