Basketball Never Stops for Premier Hoops by Jasen Sousa
Basketball Never Stops
NBA Summer League
The 2013-2014 NBA Season recently ended and the San Antonio
Spurs defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Basketball is supposed to be done for the
summer, right? Wrong.
Personally, I greatly enjoy watching NBA Summer League. The Orlando Summer League just concluded with
the Philadelphia 76ers defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in the final. The second edition of the NBA Summer League
is currently underway in Las Vegas.
Not too many people travel to Las Vegas for basketball, but
I have in the past and really enjoyed the intimate atmosphere where players,
coaches, and executives can be sitting directly next to you. NBA Summer League is like one giant audition
for players, coaches, and officials.
Where else can you see Mark Cuban getting interviewed about Shark Tank
on one end of the court, while on the other end, Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher (who is trying
to impress as a coach) talk about what philosophical book they are going to
make their players read this season?
Yes, the games can be sloppy at times as players are plucked
from all over the world and placed on a team.
It shows the less glamorous side of professional athletes and the personal
and professional sacrifices which have to be made in order to live out a dream.
The games might not count as much when it comes to historical
documentation, but don't tell that to the journeymen have played basketball all
around the world trying to make it onto an NBA roster. Don't
tell that to the draft picks who are hoping to cement minutes within
their new team's rotation, and don't tell that to the NBA veterans who are
trying to make it back onto a roster.
Particularly Brian Cook, who was on Orlando's Summer League roster. Brian Cook has been out of the NBA for two
years to help take care of his wife as she battled cancer.
To read a very interesting article about Brian Cook and his
journey, please click on the link below:
Summer League is also a way to discover players who are
likely to have break-out seasons, and players who you will come to follow and
support throughout the season because you admire and relate to their stories. Trying to get an upper-hand in your fantasy
basketball league? Then you would know
that Tim Hardaway Jr. of the New York Knicks, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of the Detroit Pistons, James
Ennis of the Miami Heat, and Giannis
Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks ("The Greek Freak") are players who should be on your
radar.
The NBA Summer League is in full swing right now in Las
Vegas, so make sure you check it out on NBA TV, through the NBA Summer League
App, or by convincing your parents to take you on vacation to Las Vegas.
WNBA
The WNBA, which is considered to be the most successful
women's professional sports league in history,
is currently in its 18th season.
Rookie Shoni Schimmel has this year's top selling jersey and Skylar
Diggins comes in second on the list.
If you haven't been watching WNBA games lately, check out
Brittney Griner's recent dunk!
The
2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup
Football isn't the only sport having a big
tournament this summer. Though it's
nowhere near as popular at the moment, The World Cup of Basketball is taking
place in Spain from August 30th to September 14th. Make sure to check it out and try and notice
the different international rules!
Oh, and if you haven't heard, this year's
NBA Free Agency has been crazy as some guy named LeBron James switched
teams.
Contributing writer Jasen Sousa for Premier
Hoops is the author of a number of poetry and fiction books for young
people. Jasen has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and is a life-long
participant and fan of the game of basketball.