How HallPass Media Has Expanded NBA Summer League Into More Than A Fan Experience

What started as “six handshakes and a box of flyers” 17 years ago, the NBA’s Summer League operation in Las Vegas has blossomed into a renowned event on the basketball calendar.

Orchestrated by Albert Hall and NBA agent Warren LeGarie in 2004, the Vegas Summer League has grown even larger than the co-founders anticipated when they pitched the idea to NBA’s top decision-makers.

Hall, the Founder and President of HallPass Media, was just looking to create a top-notch environment for the league’s future talent. He met LeGarie in the mid-1990s, as Hall was working for the Seattle SuperSonics and LeGarie represented head coach George Karl. With various Summer League venues around the country not being very popular and failing to draw large crowds, both realized there was room for improvement. In some ways, it became clear there was a market inefficiency for these important offseason games.

After crafting a plan for Las Vegas to host Summer League games and bring more attention to the game’s rising stars, the innovative duo started gaining support from higher ups.

“The evolution of Summer League came out of just trying to provide a better atmosphere for the teams and the players,” Hall told Forbes in a recent phone interview. “And then, over time, develop a fan experience. Seventeen years later, we’ve developed the marquee showcase for offseason basketball and, globally, a really good marketplace.”

Before Vegas carved its own path in the NBA landscape, there were three other Summer League venues. Those were held in Orlando, Utah, and Boston. Shortly after the 2004 All-Star break, Boston had to cancel their July Summer League plans due to the Democratic National Convention taking place the same week. There weren’t enough hotel rooms to support both events.

That’s when Adam Silver, who was the NBA deputy commissioner at the time, took LeGarie and Hall’s plan and ran with it.

During the trial run in Vegas, the only goal was for it to run smoothly and show the NBA a few signs of what it could transform into. There were only six teams included in the inaugural Vegas Summer League, with less than 100 people in the stands for the first few games. The total attendance for the whole event was well under 10,000, but that didn’t stop Hall and LeGarie from continuing to build the product.

With the NBA brass supporting the new venue and dedicating more resources to the operation, the Vegas Summer League had strong legs moving forward. Attendance grew exponentially as the years progressed, and they ultimately landed major sponsors that garnered more publicity and financial support.

Suddenly, games went from being played on one court — only during the day — to an all-afternoon and evening showcase on two separate courts. Now, every team is represented in what’s typically a 10-day event with 80-plus games, including a tournament to crown a champion.

Since the event expanded to two courts, the Thomas & Mack Center and adjacent Cox Pavilion, attendance has eclipsed 140,000. With over 600 media credentials approved for the event and the location being the entertainment capital of the world, the Vegas Summer League has, in a sense, evolved into the largest annual sports festival.

Developing a central hub for the young talent to compete was essential to Hall and LeGarie from day one. They knew the on-court product would reign supreme, especially if fans could pay an affordable price to watch the newest draftees and current NBA players for multiple days.

Hall mentioned the summer of 2007 as the year that felt like the turning point for Vegas, with rookies Kevin Durant and Greg Oden headlining the action. Since that moment, Summer League has become a key point in the NBA schedule because it’s the first time a lot of these rookies get a real taste of going against pro-level talent.

What also started to take off was the platform and networking that everyone tapped into while spending their time in Vegas.

It became a destination for important face-to-face meetings, both in the basketball and business components. Sponsorships were at an all-time high and hundreds of companies flew to Vegas just to attract future clients.

“I think the basketball … we always knew could be big,” Hall said. “But I think the ancillary pieces are what kind of caught us by surprise. It’s become this think tank for the NBA in all these different facets. For the Euroleague, for agencies, networks, shoe companies, and brands that are partners with the league.”

Part of what Hall is describing there with the “think tank” is the opportunity for new strategies to be tested out during the Summer League, and everyone having a chance to learn something each year.

It extends well beyond the players, too. Led by HallPass Media, what originally was viewed as a basketball venue to watch a ton of games has transitioned into a dynamic experience for young students and aspiring professionals.

HallPass Media is sports marketing firm that focuses on brand consulting, talent marketing, graphic design and video production, as well as broadcast and media development. Aside from their Summer League involvement, HallPass was hired by The Basketball Tournament (TBT) in 2020 to provide their full line of services. They also assisted the Nigerian Men’s National Basketball team in the 2021 Olympics by becoming the Agency of Record for Friends of Nigerian Basketball (FONB). HallPass supported the brand — while working closely with Nigeria head coach Mike Brown — by helping grow their foundation and working to integrate various partnerships and business opportunities.

Perhaps the most significant innovation for HallPass, as it pertains to Vegas Summer League, is the Sports Business Classroom (SBC).

As part of the SBC, the immersive Business of Basketball Program is their flagship event held each year at Summer League. It’s a program for students to learn in-depth components of the NBA’s salary cap, the nuances of scouting, what goes into a video coordinating job, and how to properly understand and apply analytics. There is also a section of the program dedicated to teaching students how to thrive in the media and broadcasting field.

Each of those areas of study falls under a certain “major” that students can choose, while also learning the basics of NBA business in the general, or “GE” sections of the course. HallPass has set up a college-like system for their SBC, but with the extra benefit of learning from — and connecting with — intelligent professionals at the top of their fields.

Past instructors and speakers range from NBA front office members to high-level media members. From the front office side, students have been able to learn from Sixers president Daryl Morey, Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Raptors president Masai Ujiri, and a host of others. From the financial side, salary cap expert Larry Coon is a staple within the program. NBA head coaches are also part of the event, providing knowledge from their decades of experience in the league.

“If you want to amplify your network and accentuate your skill-set, the SBC provides you that opportunity from the get-go,” Hall said. “It’s one of these things where you’re investing in yourself, but you’re meeting key people. You’re understanding industry knowledge. Everyone reads about certain headlines in basketball, but you really don’t know the inner workings behind that deal, trade, or promotion. That’s what the SBC does – it puts you into those scenarios and gives you real-time experience.”

Hall mentioned that employers within the NBA have specifically told him how important the SBC program is on their résumé. Not only because of the curriculum of those classes, but how much networking went into those invaluable days in Vegas. In many ways, the SBC has become a golden ticket for those who previously struggled to break through the door.

One of the strongest benefits of HallPass’s SBC is that it doesn’t matter what stage of your career you may be in. For students that are just getting started and haven’t landed any type of job within basketball, it will give them the ultimate introduction. Or, if you’re someone that’s been around professional basketball settings for a few years, there’s always something new to pick up. And there’s always a new speaker or guest to learn from.

Early interest registration for the Sports Business Classroom can be found here.

Additionally, a new program HallPass launched in 2021 was the virtual GM Academy, which took place in late December. Hosted by former Phoenix Suns GM Ryan McDonough, the GM Academy was a three-day event designed to challenge the entrants with various front-office tasks, while giving them experience and learning opportunities from high-ranking decision-makers across the NBA.

Once the students started the course, they were divided into teams and put into real-life NBA scenarios. With the guidance of cap guru Larry Coon and NBA GMs, the students are prompted to work through trades while keeping every facet of NBA transactions in mind (financial ramifications, on-court impact, team chemistry, and both the short and long-term goals for their franchise).

“We have different (speakers) that really touch on, number one, their origin story. But also, what’s the process they are going through in their jobs? Is it hiring a staff? Is it hiring a scouting department? Is it managing a salary cap? Understanding the new collective bargaining agreement? Getting out of a bad contract, and how to sign a free agent? There’s a lot of things you go through that you just have to do through experience.”

At the end of the GM Academy, each group of students is asked to make a presentation of what they did based on the prompt, as well as fully explain their decision-making process. Medals are handed out at the end of the program, but the most significant reward is gaining the first-hand knowledge and picking the brains of executives already in the industry.

As things slowly progress back to ‘normal’ when it comes to NBA events that have suffered from COVID-19 precautions, HallPass hopes the Vegas Summer League experience and their interactive classes will continue to help young people land careers.

“If you’re in this business, you need to be there,” Hall said. “Whether you’re a player, agent, coach, broadcaster, technology associate – whatever it may be that involves the game of basketball, it takes place in Summer League. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone.”

Through the many opportunities stemming from HallPass Media’s umbrella, over 130 people have received full-time jobs since these programs have been in place. That includes the SBC and general Summer League internships that HallPass offers.

Dennis Rogers, currently the Director of Communications for the LA Clippers, realized how critical the Summer League opportunity was for him in 2004 when the operation finally got its legs.

Rogers was working as an intern for the New Orleans Hornets when he heard about the Vegas Summer League. Looking to add any type of NBA experience to his résumé — even offering to help for free — he emailed Albert Hall with hopes of getting involved. He didn’t know what it would entail, and didn’t know anyone in charge of running it.

Hall responded to his email by simply telling him he’s in, and to join the crew. When Rogers showed up, there was only a small handful of people involved with setting up the Summer League games and handling daily tasks, such as promoting the event (hence, the six handshakes and box of flyers).

Just looking to fill in the gaps, Rogers started assisting by writing game stories and taking care of various PR components, since that was his desired field. He was essentially one of Vegas Summer League’s first interns, along with now NBA agent Michael Tellem, Nuggets VP of Basketball Operations Ben Tenzer, and Alex Snyder, Director of Marketing for Wasserman Media Group.

Many interns and graduates from the Summer League experience have become some of the brightest minds in basketball. David Fatoki recently landed the role of General Manager for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G-League affiliate. Amber Nichols, who graduated from the SBC, is now the General Manager of the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G-League affiliate. She became just the second female GM in the G-League. Jeff Siegel, who also went through the SBC, is now a cap specialist for Klutch Sports, perhaps the hottest agency right now for NBA talent.

There are countless other examples. Aside from front office jobs, Summer League and SBC alums have entered roles in the communications/public relations field, social media industry, and sales departments for various NBA teams. Graduates of the program have also become marketing professionals, joined player development staffs, and jumpstarted their careers in the television and media industry.

“At the end of the day,” Hall says, “I will be most proud of the young people who go off to successful careers, without a doubt. The ones that got their start (with us). Warren and I talk about it all the time. The people that we’ve helped jumpstart their careers or get a foot in this business. We always say, hey, keep making us proud.”

Each year, HallPass Media does a self-assessment of the entire Summer League event, including their new classrooms and programs put into place. They evaluate what went right and what could be tweaked, while also reaching out to the NBA and fans that attended to get a sense of what’s missing.

Almost two decades in, the Vegas Summer League event isn’t missing much. With passionate fans and students attending each year, there’s always a chance to accomplish three main things: Watch competitive basketball, learn more about it, and most importantly, network.