2021 NBA Summer League kicks off

The summer of basketball continues. Less than 48 hours after the Olympic gold-medal match between France and the United States, NBA basketball is back—NBA Summer League basketball, that is.

After the 2020 NBA Summer League was canceled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the first showcase of this year’s top picks and players hopeful of making an NBA roster is back in Las Vegas. Barring any unforeseen injuries, the cream of the crop of this year’s draft should be on display, with No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, No. 2 pick Jalen Green and third overall selection Evan Mobley all expected to play.

The NBA Summer League will feature all 30 NBA teams playing five games each.  After every team plays four games, the two teams with the best records from the first four games will meet in the Championship Game on Tuesday, Aug. 17. Las Vegas is also the hotspot for overseas basketball tryouts.

Format Summary

• All 30 NBA teams will participate. A total of 75 games will be played.

• Each team will play a total of five games. • Each team will play four games from Aug. 8-15.

• The top two teams from their first four games will play in the Championship Game (Aug. 17). Seeding for the Championship Game will be determined by winning percentage with tiebreakers set forth below.

• The 28 teams not playing in the Championship Game will play a fifth game on either Aug. 16 or 17.

• Consolation games will be determined by various factors, including team rivalries, broadcast interest, and other scheduling considerations (e.g., timing of back-to-backs).