Marvin Bagley III and DeAndre Ayton go head-to-head in NBA summer league. (Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS — You don’t have to be a basketball junkie to love the NBA summer league, especially if the venue is Las Vegas. For the general admission price of $35, you’ll be able to watch a slew of games at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. And if you’re paying close attention, you could bump into some NBA executives or big-time players.
It’ll be like watching 10 live shows for the same price you would pay for a dinner buffet at Mandalay Bay or Planet Hollywood.
The event is fast becoming one of the best shows on the Vegas Strip, and this year should bring a tremendous amount of buzz thanks to a heralded draft class headed by No. 1 overall selection DeAndre Ayton (Phoenix Suns), No. 2 pick Marvin Bagley III (Sacramento Kings), No. 4 pick Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), and No. 5 pick Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks). This will be the first year all 30 NBA teams are participating in the Vegas summer league.
Here is the jam-packed schedule through the first five days (All times EST):
Friday, July 6
Houston vs. Indiana (3 p.m., NBATV)
Toronto vs. New Orleans (3:30 p.m., ESPNU)
Brooklyn vs. Orlando (5 p.m., NBATV)
Oklahoma City vs. Charlotte (5:30 p.m., ESPNU)
Milwaukee vs. Detroit (7 p.m., NBATV)
Boston vs. Philadelphia (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Cleveland vs. Washington (9 p.m., NBATV)
Dallas vs. Phoenix (9:30 p.m., ESPN)
Denver vs. Minnesota (11 p.m., NBATV)
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State (11:30 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday, July 7
Portland vs. Utah (3 p.m., NBATV)
San Antonio vs. Indiana (3:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Miami vs. New Orleans (5 p.m., NBATV)
New York vs. Atlanta (5:30 p.m., ESPN)
Oklahoma City vs. Brooklyn (7 p.m., NBATV)
Phoenix vs. Sacramento (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Detroit vs. Memphis (9 p.m., NBATV)
Chicago vs. Cleveland (9:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Boston vs. Denver (11 p.m., NBATV)
Philadelphia vs. Los Angeles Lakers (11:30 p.m., ESPN)
Sunday, July 8
Minnesota vs. Toronto (3 p.m., NBATV)
Washington vs. San Antonio (3:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Charlotte vs. Miami (5 p.m., NBATV)
Portland vs. Atlanta (5:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Dallas vs. Milwaukee (7 p.m., NBATV)
Golden State vs. Houston (7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Utah vs. New York (9 p.m., NBATV)
Memphis vs. Orlando (9:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Sacramento vs. Los Angeles Clippers (11 p.m., NBATV)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Chicago (11:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Monday, July 9
New Orleans vs. Detroit (3 p.m., ESPNU)
Toronto vs. Oklahoma City (3:30 p.m., NBATV)
Indiana vs. Cleveland (5 p.m., ESPN2)
Washington vs. Philadelphia (5:30 p.m., NBATV)
Charlotte vs. Boston (7 p.m., ESPN2)
Golden State vs. Dallas (7:30 p.m., NBATV)
Milwaukee vs. Denver (9 p.m., ESPNU)
Orlando vs. Phoenix (9:30 p.m., NBATV)
Brooklyn vs. Minnesota (11 p.m., ESPNU)
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston (11:30 p.m., NBATV)
Tuesday, July 10
San Antonio vs. Portland (4 p.m., NBATV)
Utah vs. Miami (4:30 p.m., ESPNU)
Atlanta vs. Chicago (6 p.m., NBATV)
Sacramento vs. Memphis (6:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York (8:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Playoffs start Wednesday, July 11