The Orlando Magic will not host the Summer League in Orlando next summer; instead, they will take their team to the Las Vegas Summer League, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
The Magic have hosted the Orlando Summer League 14 times since 2002.
Team president Jeff Weltman spoke about the decision:
“The pendulum is swinging toward teams playing in Vegas,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said.
“It’s a level of competition and a level of exposure when more or less every team in the league is there and you’re playing in front of 20,000 people as opposed to playing in a gym with a few hundred people. So it better prepares you for what NBA life is really about with the crowds, the pressure, the travel — a lot of what you’re going to have to confront. Obviously, it’s not a true test of an NBA season, but it’s a little taste.”
Las Vegas Summer League was founded by Warren LeGarie in 2004.
Last summer, 24 teams participated in Las Vegas Summer League and eight teams participated in Orlando Summer League.
Per Robbins, “NBA officials prefer to have all 30 teams participate in the Las Vegas event.”
