NBA Summer League California Classic 2023 format: How does the event work?

The 2023 NBA Summer League has arrived. It is comprised of three tournaments: California Classic, Salt Lake City and NBA 2K24 Summer League.

The first tournament will be the California Classic, which will be held on July 3 and July 5. There will be a total of six games, which will all be played in Sacramento.

Date and Time (ET)	Game	Channel
July 3 (Monday, 6:00 PM)	Game 1: Lakers (Home) vs. Heat (Away)	ESPN2
July 3 (Monday, 8:00 PM)	Game 2: Hornets (Home) vs. Spurs (Away)	ESPN2
July 3 (Monday, 10:00 PM)	Game 3: Kings (Home) vs. Warriors (Away)	ESPN2
July 5 (Wednesday, 6:00 PM)	Game 4: Hornets (Home) vs. Warriors (Away)	ESPN2
July 5 (Wednesday, 8:00 PM)	Game 5: Lakers (Home) vs. Spurs (Away)	ESPN2
July 5 (Wednesday, 10:00 PM)	Game 6: Kings (Home) vs. Heat (Away)	ESPN2

The games will be structured as a triple-header for both the Monday and Wednesday slate of matchups. This Summer League tournament will consist of 10-minute quarters per game.

The California Classic will also showcase a limited number of allowed timeouts and the rules will also be tweaked. There will also be an increase in personal and team fouls.

California Classic 2023: Hornets vs. Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs against Charlotte Hornets game will be a matchup with a missed opportunity. This will be Game 2 on Monday, which would have showcased Victor Wembanyama (#1 pick) going up against Brandon Miller (#2 pick). But it won't as Wembanyama is not playing in the tournament.

The Spurs organization is taking extra precautions when it comes to Wembanyama. Fresh off playing in a Finals series in France, Wembanyama will participate in team workouts and shootarounds but will remain sidelined for the Summer League Tournament in Sacramento. He will be available for the NBA 2K24 Summer League Tournament, which will be held in Las Vegas.

During the 2022-23 season for the Metropolitans 92, Wembanyama averaged 21.6 points per game (47.0% shooting, including 27.5% from 3-point range) and 10.4 rebounds.

Meanwhile, in his one season playing for the Alabama Crimson Tides, Miller averaged 18.8 ppg (43.0% shooting, including 38.4% from 3-point range) and 8.2 rebounds.

Despite different positions and playstyles, these are two promising young talents that are capable of shooting jumpers from the perimeter. Wembanyama is listed at 7-foot-2 in the center position, while Miller is listed at 6-foot-9 in the forward position.

In a media interview, Victor Wembanyama talked about his first impressions of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

"He communicates a lot with me and he doesn't want me to make - you know, he wants to take care of me and he wants me to avoid making some mistakes," Wembanyama said. "He's really present and it's really comfortable. I thought I would experience the yelling a bit earlier. I haven't yet, but I'm ready.”

Meanwhile, following draft night for Brandon Miller, he addressed the boos he received from Charlotte fans when he spoke to the media.

“Making all the winning plays, doing whatever the team needs me to do,” Miller said. “I see the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA Finals next year, so hopefully we’ll get that big trophy at the end. My message to Charlotte Hornets fans would be that y’all will see us at the end of the year holding that big trophy up.”

Despite the missed opportunity in seeing these two rookies duel it out in the California Classic, their much-anticipated matchup remains one to be watched out for when the time arrives.