10
Loading video...
By Matt Audilet
Contributing Sports Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The 2026 NBA Draft featured some of the best top-end talent the league has seen in years.
And with all these exciting incoming rookies, the league delivered with some record-breaking Summer League attendance numbers.
The 2026 NBA Summer League set new all-time records for both in-person attendance and merchandise sales, the league announced on Thursday.
Read More on NBA
The 156,000 total attendees represent a 12% increase compared to the previous record set in 2018. The league also sold 11% more merchandise compared to the previous record set in 2024.
The 2026 NBA Summer League championship game between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies also marked the most-watched title game since 2017. 676,000 average viewers on ESPN represented a 61% increase year-over-year.
"A landmark summer in Las Vegas. The 2026 NBA Summer League set attendance and merchandise records and featured the most-watched championship game since 2017," the NBA wrote in an announcement on social media.
The top four picks of this year's draft — AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson — are all considered No. 1 overall pick caliber. Fans were clearly interested to see how each of these players would fair in their debut on-court action.
...
Boozer and Wilson made the 2026 Summer League First Team, alongside Brayden Burries, Meleek Thomas and Summer League MVP Yaxel Lendeborg.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines