Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz suggests adding more flavor to the Summer League. Being a dunk champion himself, he said that a slam dunk contest should be added.
Via his Twitter account, Mitchell said:
There should definitely be a summer league dunk contest 👀👀
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) July 9, 2018
For teams, the Summer League gives them time to try out different rosters — experiment lineups, test out their newly-picked rookies, and scout NBA hopefuls, free agents, including G League prospects. Some of the elite stars in the NBA have made their mark in the Summer League. The following NBA players were crowned Summer League MVPs: Damian Lillard, Jonas Valančiūnas, and Lonzo Ball.
The Summer League is a relatively new tourney organized by the NBA. It started back in 2004 — but only had four teams in the competition. It didn't receive much marketing and promotion as it does now. In 2017, it set records for total attendance (127,843) and single-day attendance (17,500).
In addition, a matchup between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers acquired 1.1 million viewers on ESPN — the most-watched game in Summer League history.
Just this year, the NBA has made it official that all 30 teams will participate in the Summer League. In a statement released in January, the league office said:
With every team participating, NBA Summer League 2018 will expand to 12 days and 82 games as part of the usual tournament-style schedule. Teams will compete in three preliminary games before being seeded in a tournament that culminates with the Championship Game on July 17. Each team will play at least five games and as many as eight.
Given that the summer tourney is quickly gaining traction, expect more things to come. Mitchell's suggestion of a dunk contest might be heeded.
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