Could Oklahoma City host a successful NBA Summer Leagues?

[Laramie]

Orlando has decided to drop its host as an NBA summer league after 14 seasons.

All 30 NBA teams will be playing in the Las Vegas Summer League (Jul 6, 2018 – Jul 17, 2018).

Do you think that Oklahoma City could host its own 2019 summer league (2 weeks of May-July) using the Thunder practice facility and the Cox Convention Center or Chesapeake Energy Arena?

This would be the best time to plan for a 2019 Oklahoma City NBA Summer League. We have some quality of life venues to offer summer visitors in OKC:

Basketball facilities:

OKC Thunder Practice Facility
Cox Convention Center Arena
Chesapeake Energy Arena
Abe Lemons Arena (OCU campus)

Food & Beverage:

Bricktown Entertainment District
Automobile Alley
Film Row
Plaza District

Attractions:

Oklahoma City Riversport Rapids
Oklahoma City Zoo
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Omniplex Science Museum Oklahoma
Frontier City Amusement Park
Myriad Botanical Gardens & Crystal Bridge
Scissortail Park downtown 70-acre park next to the Peake
Paseo District
Asian District

There are other events Oklahoma City could bid to go after around 2020:

NBA Combine - May 16, 2018 – May 20,
NBA Draft 2020 - Civic Center Music Hall or Chesapeake Energy Arena

We should have the streetcar up and fully functional & the new Oklahoma City Scissortail Park (70 acres) & Convention Center in operation by 2020 in some stages to welcome visitors. If we could attract some of these events just imagine the exposure it would have on our city.

[Laramie]

Does our central location (proximity) provide a good look for an NBA Summer League (Crossroads of the United States).

[Jake]

Interesting idea. I think it'd be really cool to have.

I think Vegas is taking over as the summer league destination though, and both Orlando and Vegas have attractions and ammenities that OKC doesn't have.

OKC does have a good central location like you mentioned, but so does Dallas. Also, New Orleans, Chicago, Houston, NY, have a lot of teams close to them as well. Why would the NBA choose to have a summer league in OKC instead of those cities?

This is one of those, "Maybe in 10-20 years OKC could do/have that" type of things. I think the NBA Combine would be more obtainable than the NBA Draft or a summer league though.

[Laramie]

Teams will compete in three preliminary games before being seeded in a tournament that culminates with the Championship Game on July 17.

Source: http://www.nba.com/article/2018/01/3...ficial-release

All 30 teams are not going to get to play one another in a 30 game schedule--impossible to do in 2 weeks with a playoffs seeding regardless of your claim that anticipated matchups between rookies would be an attraction within itself.


The Cox Convention Center Arena probably would be ideal to host an NBA Summer League with seating.

There are many advantages OKC would have as far as a facility near Bricktown (Food & Beverage); whereas in OKC foot traffic with the proximity of Bricktown--elimination of auto travel,
Las Vegas Summer League is held on the campus of UNLV (Thomas & Mack Arena) which isn't on the Las Vegas strip.. Now, to get to the other attractions you would have to travel by some form of vehicle transport, along with new downtown hotels.

Las Vegas Summer League is held on the campus of UNLV (Thomas & Mack Arena) which isn't on the Las Vegas strip.

[Laramie]

Also, New Orleans, Chicago, Houston, NY, have a lot of teams close to them as well. Why would the NBA choose to have a summer league in OKC instead of those cities?

Valid point; that's why OKC could get ahead of the game by getting something established. Those cities you mentioned have other major league franchises that would attract from the NBA summer league.

You could be just as successful with 8 - 12 teams whether than attempts to entertain all 30 teams.

The Jazz have not yet announced the dates or participants for the 2018 summer league, but it traditionally is held from the first Monday of July through the first Thursday, which would be July 2-5. The NBA Summer League in Vegas begins on July 6 and runs through July 17. Boston Celtics have declined to participate in the Utah summer league; probably too close to Las Vegas.

[d-usa]

Is there just one Summer League? I never followed the NBA off-season all that much. MLS has a couple pre-season events and tournaments that some teams participate in rather than an MLS run pre-season event.

[gopokes88]

No. We could not host a successful summer league.

[Laramie]

Is there just one Summer League? I never followed the NBA off-season all that much. MLS has a couple pre-season events and tournaments that some teams participate in rather than an MLS run pre-season event.

IIFC there have been a number of summer leagues:

Orlando Summer League 2017
Las Vegas Summer League 2017
Utah Summer League 2017

Utah received word from the Boston Celtics that they will not return to the Utah Summer League in 2018: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/...er-League.html
Orlando will not host a 2018 Summer League: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...gue/107859758/
Las Vegas for the 1st time will host all 30 NBA teams at the MGM Resorts: http://www.nba.com/article/2018/01/3...ficial-release

You're not going to be able to isolate as much on the younger talent with a 30 team summer league in one city. Each team will play a preliminary of 3 games prior to summer playoff seeding. Will be of interest to see how this works.

[Laramie]

Just not into the gambling aspects of Las Vegas--this city was built on the backs of losers; not winners.

[gopokes88]

Just not into the gambling aspects of Las Vegas--this city was built on the backs of losers; not winners.

Well whether you are or not it’s becoming a HUGE draw. The Vegas summer league is growing every year and is the future.

[jn1780]

No. We could not host a successful summer league.

We could, but that's not what the NBA is trying to accomplish with the summer league. I think the whole point is to play away from the NBA home cities.

[Laramie]

We could, but that's not what the NBA is trying to accomplish with the summer league. I think the whole point is to play away from the NBA home cities.

You brought up an interesting point on the summer league about the NBA attempts to play away from their home cities. Tulsa might be an even better alternative.

[Ross MacLochness]

Keep in mind, we may not have the Cox arena in 5ish years..

[gopokes88]

We could, but that's not what the NBA is trying to accomplish with the summer league. I think the whole point is to play away from the NBA home cities.

It wouldn't be successful given what the new vision of "success" for a summer league is. They're trying to build the Vegas league into a whole fun thing. Vegas is a huge draw and easy to get too for every team and fans. Go see the team play a few games, then hang out and have some fun in Vegas. The Lakers had like 10k fans at their league games last summer. Those fans aren't rolling out to Phoenix much less OKC for that. They're going because they can watch a game and go play in Vegas.

Or you can go to Oklahoma in July. I don't know why this is even a discussion. Vegas summer league is growing in popularity and will be become a big deal in the next few years.

[Jersey Boss]

^^^ + 1K ^^^. Vegas= "No Brainer"

[Zuplar]

It wouldn't be successful given what the new vision of "success" for a summer league is. They're trying to build the Vegas league into a whole fun thing. Vegas is a huge draw and easy to get too for every team and fans. Go see the team play a few games, then hang out and have some fun in Vegas. The Lakers had like 10k fans at their league games last summer. Those fans aren't rolling out to Phoenix much less OKC for that. They're going because they can watch a game and go play in Vegas.

Or you can go to Oklahoma in July. I don't know why this is even a discussion. Vegas summer league is growing in popularity and will be become a big deal in the next few years.

I agree with all this.

The Vegas Summer league has what the NBA has moving to for awhile now. I can't imagine anything else being a disrupter in that.

[d-usa]

Sounds like the Summer League(s) are becoming more of an "All-Stars Weekend experience for the fans, with none of the all-stars", rather than just a means for teams to have a way to figure out their final rosters and run rookies and tryouts through the wringer.

[gopokes88]

Sounds like the Summer League(s) are becoming more of an "(Future, maybe) All-Stars Weekend experience for the fans, with none of the all-stars", rather than just a means for teams to have a way to figure out their final rosters and run rookies and tryouts through the wringer.

Added a thought.

What's funny is that it will work. Hope springs eternal

[Jersey Boss]

Sounds like the Summer League(s) are becoming more of an "All-Stars Weekend experience for the fans, with none of the all-stars", rather than just a means for teams to have a way to figure out their final rosters and run rookies and tryouts through the wringer.

Probably why the Utah Summer League had been pretty much a flop when comparing to Orlando and Vegas. Vegas is known for entertainment and that is what the NBA wants.

[Laramie]

What Las Vegas wants is anything that will add to their bottom line (gambling); they know these young stars will be back. Oh, let's not forget the NFR that OKC grew but failed to provide a future growth facility. Las Vegas needed a December winter attraction so they picked up (NFR) where OKC left off.

Las Vegas built the T-Mobile Arena which is larger than the Thomas & Mack Arena on the campus of UNLV to adjust for the growth of the NFR. The Summer League will become just another side show in Las Vegas.

Oklahoma City has learned that if you have an attraction like the NFR and now our WCWS (College Softball) that you have to invest in facilities or yield to the concessions other cities are willing to make. Hoover, AL, a suburb of Birmingham offered to renovate & retrofit their 10k baseball stadium used to host the SEC college baseball tournament in order to lure the WCWS from Oklahoma City.

It boils down to this; if you have any event that is a national showcase (eg., WCWS); you need to be willing to invest in the upkeep & facility upgrades necessary to anchor that event. OKC will be upgrading/expanding the ASA Hall of Fame to make it more attractive for the national stage to enhance ESPN viewership.

While we have invested in the various horse-shows and related exhibits with the Bennett Events Center & training barns, we still need to get a new arena built; Fort Worth is digging deep & investing (new 14,000-seat rodeo arena) to make another pitch at our horse related shows & events. What Oklahoma City has that gives us a slight edge is debt free facilities (via MAPS).

We need to take a 2nd look at the Fairgrounds (Jim Norick Arena replacement); make sure the new arena we build eclipses the arena under construction in 'Cowtown' that isn't deft free.

We have the potential to lure and build a lot of events with our central location. Once we begin filling hotels, more hotels will be built; then OKC puts itself in a position to bid for more larger & significant events. This also grows our airport...

[Laramie]

Just want to add that no sooner than our NBA ownership group purchased the Supersonics and decided to relocate; Kansas City attempted to lure them away with a free rent offer to use the Sprint Center.

[Mike_M]

Sounds like the Summer League(s) are becoming more of an "All-Stars Weekend experience for the fans, with none of the all-stars", rather than just a means for teams to have a way to figure out their final rosters and run rookies and tryouts through the wringer.

I think in probably 2 more years, Summer League will actually be a really big deal. These high school prospects are very popular on social media. They're followed like Kardashians. They create brands and have people that follow them around creating content. Now that they eventually will not even have to go to college anymore, Summer League will be most people's first time seeing instagram stars going at it on the court.

OKC has very little chance of getting summer league, more than anything because this is literally the absolute worst time of the year to to be in Oklahoma.

[Laramie]

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NBA Summer Leagues 2018

July 2 - 5

Sacramento California Classic Summer League

Sacramento Kings
Golden State Warriors
Miami Heat
Los Angeles Lakers

Utah Jazz Summer League

Utah Jazz
Atlanta Hawks
Memphis Grizzlies
San Antonio Spurs

July 6 - 17

MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2018 in Las Vegas.

All 30 NBA teams

Complete NBA Summer League Schedule: http://www.nba.com/summerleague#/http://