You Went to NBA Summer League Hoping to Find a Job… What’s Next?
3 Common Questions following NBA Summer League
NBA Summer League is an incredible time of making and building connections. As many of you realized for the first time, the accessibility to NBA Personnel is unrivaled. But often, the questions is, what’s next?
And the answer to that can vary greatly.
For a small percentage, you were able to land a job or internship while attending NBA Summer League. Some teams are ready to hire interns or entry-level positions right away. While others look at it more as a data point on their way to selecting their staff.
For those who landed a job or internship, congratulations!
And for those who did not, well done to you as well. You put yourself out there and put yourself in position to give yourself an opportunity. And that’s all you can ask for.
Is there still hope to get an NBA job or internship for the coming season?
Yes. Oftentimes, teams will be hiring for positions in September and October. I was hired in late October. And as I kept up with other looking for internships this past season, there were a few that ended up getting hired between January-March. So the door is never fully closed.
What if I haven’t heard back from anyone?
There could be 2 reasons. One, the team is not interested and has moved on. I had a prospective intern reach out to me this past year and told me I was the only person from an NBA team that had reached out to let them know that they did not get the position. To me, it’s a common courtesy, but also helped me realize how rare it is. When I was applying for NBA internships 15 years ago, I also, only received just one phone call letting me know I didn’t get a position. It was Brian Adams who was the Video Coordinator of the Celtics at the time. Making that call can go a long way, but as a prospective employee, you can’t expect it.
Reason 2 is, they’re on vacation. The NBA season runs heavy from September through Summer League, fairly non-stop. After Summer League and into August, there is some time and space to go on vacation and take some time off. Many staff fly out straight from Summer League to their vacation. While some staff may be available and able to keep you up to date on opportunities, some might be non-responsive at all. For me, I always left the country for a month, preferably with no cell service, therefore I was one of those who would always be like, I’ll get back to you in September. And if a General Manager / Assistant General Manager / Head Coach is out on vacation, often, even if the Video Coordinator or another position wants to hire you right away, they have to wait for the final say and okay from Management.
What should I do next?
It’s good to keep in touch on opportunities while also realizing the down time of NBA personnel. If you reach out to someone in the next month and don’t hear back, it’s okay to hit them up again in September or October.
If you’re currently talking to a team about a position, ask them what the expectations and timelines are. Most NBA personnel should be understanding and respectful knowing that you also have to make decisions on your job and basketball career for the upcoming season.
If you are currently talking to multiple teams, use that as leverage. I’ve known so many people who have gotten jobs because they were talking to multiple teams which caused one of the teams to push things forward. NBA Teams have a tendency to push things off, delay paperwork, etc. But if they know they could lose you to another team and you’re their person, they’ll get it done. I think I was Portland’s guy when I was in the process but once I told them I was planning on taking a position with Sixers, they offered me their internship that night.
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Good luck to you all. I’ll keep posting content and answering questions but for those who don’t hear from me, well, it’s the NBA off season so you can find me overseas without cell service. It’s one of the healthiest things I’ve ever done for my basketball career.
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How long should I keep reaching out?
I’m going to be brutally honest…