NBA summer leagues feature NBA teams but not using regular rosters. Not even close. Instead, they have summer league rosters that are generally a mix of the team's rookies, some of their young or end-of-bench players, as well as various unsigned players who are looking for exposure.

For more explanation about NBA summer league play and what it means, scroll down to the bottom of this page.

In the summer of 2009 there are only two NBA summer leagues: The main official Vegas Summer Basketball League, run by the NBA and by far the biggest and most important. And the Orlando Summer Basketball League, run by the Orlando Magic, with fewer teams and a shorter schedule, but also featuring legit NBA summer league squads.

2009 NBA SUMMER LEAGUES

Orlando Summer League
When: July 6-10
Where: RDV Sportsplex, Orlando Florida
Teams: Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics and a split squad between the New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers.
Schedule/Results: Click here.

NBA Summer League (Vegas)
When: July 10-19
Where: Two different UNLV arenas: Cox Pavilion, and Thomas and Mack
Teams: 21 NBA summer league teams: Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Golden State, Houston, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto, Washington, and an NBA D-League Select team.
Schedule/Results: Click here.

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NBA SUMMER LEAGUES THAT NO LONGER EXIST

Rocky Mountain Revue
When: July 18-25
Where: Salt Lake Community College (Redwood Campus) Lifetime Activities Center (LAC)
Teams: Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, New Jersey Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, plus a D-League All-Star team and the 2007 FIBA Asian Champion
Schedule/Results: Click here.



The best non-NBA summer league last played in 2007

Summer Pro League (SPL)
When: No 2008 league?
Where: Pyramid in Long Beach, California
Teams: No NBA teams last year year but plenty of former and current NBA, CBA, D-League, ABA and overseas players
Schedule/Results: Click here.



ABOUT NBA SUMMER LEAGUES

NBA summer leagues feature rosters that are different from the regular season. A team's summer league roster usually features a mix of (1) rookies that the team just drafted, (2) a few other players signed to that team, and (3) various undrafted players and free agents looking to get signed to that team or any other team. If a player is a free agent, and that player gets invited to play on a certain summer league team, that team obviously has some interest in him, but the player is hoping to get signed to that team or any other team that happens to be impressed by him.

If you are a member of the Boston Celtics, and you play summer league, you'll be on Boston's team. If you are not currently signed to any NBA team, a team might just sign you for their summer league team, and you're trying to get signed to a real, regular season NBA contract from any team in the league, including the team that you're playing summer league for.

NBA summer leagues are great for seeing how various rookies play as well as watching guys compete for NBA jobs.

In NBA summer league play wins-losses don't really matter. These aren't regular season rosters. It's really all about the individual player performances. Some of these players are fighting to prove themselves worthy of more playing time once the regular season rolls around. Others just want more experience. But a lot of NBA summer league players are jobless. These dudes need a contract. And they'll do whatever it takes.