- Summer Pro League
The Summer Pro League, officially known as the The Southern California Summer Pro League (SPL) is a
basketball league held every summer inLong Beach, California where first and second round draft picks in theNBA are able to improve their skills. It is also a place where undrafted players are able to showcase their talents in hopes of garnering a spot on a pro basketball team. Since its inception in 1969, every NBA team has sent players to the league with over 800 players having participated in it.The SPL moved to the
Walter Pyramid on the campus ofCalifornia State University, Long Beach in 1995. Before then, it was held at various sites in theLos Angeles Metropolitan Area , includingUCLA ,Loyola Marymount University , andPepperdine University .Notable alumni include
Magic Johnson ,Kobe Bryant , and many others.In 2007, no NBA team sent players to the league. This was due to a conflict with the schedule of the adidas
Vegas Summer League , at which 22 NBA teams participated. But Gino Kwok, one of the SPL's owners, told the "Long Beach Press-Telegram " that he hoped that NBA teams would return in 2008. Before '07, the last year without an NBA team in the SPL was 1998, during the league's extended lockout that summer.
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