NEW YORK –  When the participating teams take the court in Las Vegas this summer for the 2013 NBA Summer League, a championship will be on the line. For the first time since the league’s inception in 2004, NBA Summer League will feature a format that includes preliminary games followed by a single-elimination tournament leading to an eventual champion.

The schedule tips off on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas on Friday, July 12, and will conclude with a championship game on Monday, July 22. All participating teams will play a minimum of five games. After the conclusion of games of July 16, all participating teams will be seeded for single-elimination tournament play that will result in a champion being crowned on July 22.

At last year’s event the Golden State Warriors were a tournament best  5-0 while six teams – Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves — finished with a record of 4-1.  Portland’s Damian Lillard led all scorers, averaging 26.5 points, while Malcolm Thomas of Chicago led the league in rebounds with 12.0 per game, and Phoenix’s Kendall Marshall dished out a league-high 6.5 assists per game. Lillard (26.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists) and former Memphis Grizzlies guard Josh Selby (24.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists) were named co-MVPs of the league.

Last year’s NBA Summer League was record-breaking,  with new all-time marks set  in multiple areas including: participating teams (24); attendance (51,000-plus over 10 days); games played (60); number of live NBA TV broadcasts (38) and participating top draft picks (13 of the top 14 selections) in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Launched in 2004 as the Las Vegas Summer League, the inaugural event featured six NBA teams (Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards) playing a 13-game slate.  Long considered the best opportunity for teams to showcase young talented rosters, teams whose rosters included six of the last seven NBA Rookie of the Year award winners have participated in NBA Summer League including: Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets, 2005-06), Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers, 2006-07), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City, 2007-08), Tyreke Evans (Sacramento, 2009-10), Blake Griffin (L.A. Clippers, 2010-11) and Kyrie Irving (2011-12).

Tickets for the 2013 NBA Summer League will go on sale June 1, at 10 a.m. PDT.  Fans will be able to purchase tickets for the NBA’s hottest summer action by calling 702-739-FANS, through UNLVtickets.com or by visiting any UNLV ticket outlet.

NBA TV will televise NBA Summer League games from Las Vegas with a complete schedule of games and broadcast information to be released at a later date. Additionally, fans will once again be able to watch every NBA Summer League game live on NBA.com and NBA Mobile via a subscription-based package.