Magic end summer league
The Orlando Magic will not hold their annual summer league in Orlando next year and will participate instead in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, team officials told the Orlando Sentinel.
The decision is a radical departure for the Magic, who ran and managed their own summer league in Central Florida 14 times since 2002.
But the decision also doesn’t impact Magic fans who are based in Orlando because the Orlando Pro Summer League was closed to the public. The only way fans could watch the games was to tune in on TV.
NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas are held in two adjoining arenas on the UNLV campus, the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion.
“The pendulum is swinging toward teams playing in Vegas,” Magic president of basketball operations 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.”
Twenty-four teams participated in the NBA Summer League this past summer. Each team had three preliminary games followed by a tournament with seedings based on the preliminary games’ results. Teams in Las Vegas played a minimum of five games overall.
Meanwhile, eight teams participated in the Orlando Pro Summer League this year and played five games apiece.
In addition to the Magic, the other teams were the Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder.
NBA officials prefer to have all 30 teams participate in the Las Vegas event.
“We want to do what’s right for the team, for our players,” Weltman said. “But that being said, when the large portion of the league is there [in Las Vegas], it does kind of create an environment where you want your young guys to be a part of what the league is about. So there is that added component.”
The Utah Jazz also have their own summer league, with games held prior to the NBA Summer League. But Weltman said the Magic have no plans to participate in Utah’s league.
The Magic made no money from their own league, but they will incur some added expense playing in Vegas, including air travel and hotel stays.
“We’re fortunate enough to work for an organization where what’s best for our team and what’s best for our players comes first,” Weltman said. “And so, obviously, there are expenses to put on the league here. There are expenses to fly the team to Vegas and play there. But, honestly, we’re just lucky to be working somewhere where that’s secondary to what’s best for our team and best for the development of our players.”
The Orlando Magic Dancers had a special guest as the Magic hosted the Jazz on Saturday at Amway Center.
, an 8-year-old who has Down syndrome, spent the day with the Magic Dancers, practiced with the dance team, attended the final rehearsal and had dinner with the group.
The nonprofit Dream On 3 links children who have life-altering conditions, chronic illnesses and developmental disabilities with their favorite athletes, sporting event or sports team. Dream on 3 helped arrange Maggie’s visit.