NBA 2K26 Summer League is well underway in Las Vegas. The exhibition series gives a chance for the league's next stars wear their new colors for the first time, while other players compete for training camp invites and roster spots.
Although Summer League games are only exhibitions and don't count in any long-lasting record books, a champion still gets crowned at the end of the 11-day long hoops festival. Each summer squad in Vegas will play at least five games, with four initial contests set in stone on the schedule. The undecided fifth game is based on standings and results, where teams who excel have a chance to compete for the title.
Winning the title in Vegas is no easy feat, though, with very little room for error. After each team plays its first four games, the top-four squads move on into the semifinals. The semifinal winners then compete for the Summer League trophy the following day.
Each team that does not advance to the semifinals still gets a fifth game, they just play one of the other teams that didn't advance. Because only four teams move on, a laundry list of tiebreakers could come into play. Head-to-head record and point differential are at the top of the list, but there could even be a random drawing to determine who moves on if it comes down to it.
That's a lot just for some exhibitions, right? Although that may seem to be the case, the team who heads out of Vegas on top actually gets a pretty big prize.
What Do the Winners of NBA Summer League Get?
NBA Summer League has awarded championship rings to each member of the winning team since 2022. And they're pretty fancy, too. Take a look at the first Summer League championship rings issued:
For the first time, rings will be handed out to the Summer League champions. We got an exclusive look on NBA Today. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/HovjFNXKFE
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) July 8, 2022
And here are the rings that were issued in '23:
Here is a first look at the 2023 Summer League Championship rings. Rings were introduced at Summer League in 2022. pic.twitter.com/YwFvqAvTFd
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) July 10, 2023
The Miami Heat won the title last year in Summer League's 20th anniversary and they walked away with this shiny hardware:
🌟 Get ready to witness history! 🌟
— NBA Summer League (@NBASummerLeague) July 20, 2024
Join us on July 22nd at 5pm PT/8pm ET as we crown our #NBA2KSummerLeague champions 🏆 with these incredible rings 💍 .
🎟️ Order your tickets » https://t.co/o8RNOUCU6R pic.twitter.com/YD3kCjFlZP
The ring design for this year's Summer League champion hasn't been released yet. But, if the past three years have been any indication, the winners are in for a keepsake to last a lifetime. The possibility for a championship ring in just six games? Not bad at all.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Winners of NBA Summer League Receive Shockingly Big Prize.
