LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A few years ago while talking to a classroom full of college students, I was answering questions at the end of my hour-long talk with them. One of the kids had a simple question when asking what mattered the most to me in my 50 years as a sports journalist.
It was a simple question — with a simple answer. Very simple.
"What did you enjoy the most, the games or the people?'' she asked. I think some of them were actually surprised by the answer.
"It's the people,'' I said. "And it's not even close.''
I have been to Final Fours and Super Bowls and NBA Finals. I have been to World Series and The Masters, and I've even been to several high school state championship games, which meant just as much.
The games are games. The people who play them? They always mattered more to me. My favorite part of this job is to sit down with people and ask questions. Sure, those questions often came before or after those games, but many times they didn't. Being able to get to know people and write their stories, that was absolutely the best, dating all the way back to that very first story I wrote as a high school kid back in 1974.
Access is a wonderful thing, and I've never once taken it for granted. I love the face-to-face interaction with players, coaches, executives and everyone else around the game. And I love that I've made thousands of acquaintances through the years.
The majority of my work has been with basketball, both on the college and pro level. That's been especially true since I became a publisher with Sports Illustrated in 2019. For the past seven years, I've had my digital sites on our ''On SI'' network covering Indiana, Purdue and the Big Ten on the college level, and covering all of the NBA with my top-ranked ''Fastbreak on SI'' site.
And every year about this time, all of these worlds collide here in Las Vegas with the NBA Summer League, and it's a wonderful thing. All 30 NBA teams are here, and over 11 days, they'll play more than 75 games. In one location!
The final scores aren't really relevant, even though they do give out a trophy at the end. It's more about young guys getting a chance to play, and coaches and front office folks doing a lot of evaluating.
And what is great is that the NBA does a terrific job with media access, as well. You've got literally hundreds of players and coaches available, not to mention a lot of the national NBA media that's here as well.
That's why I love coming here and covering this event. In just a matter of hours, I saw all four former Indiana players that are here — Kel'el Ware, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Miller Kopp and Oumar Ballo. It's five if we count Tamar Bates, who started his career at Indiana but has a Missouri degree.
And I can take a lap around the gym and get updated by former Purdue star Zach Edey on his surgically repaired ankle, have a nice chat with former Indiana coach Tom Crean, who's here working for ESPN, and how life is with him and his family, and see several coaches I've come to know, like Kevin Willard, Jim Boeheim, Greg McDermott and more. Heck, I even got to congratulate Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti on winning the NBA title.
All of that happened in less than an hour. Now that's access.
And that's why I love it so much.
Oumar Ballo's time at Indiana was short, just one disappointing season that ended in March. But he's here with the Miami Heat in Summer League — still repping all his Indiana gear. He also played college ball at Gonzaga and Arizona before Indiana, but he's donning the Indiana logos.
Ballo didn't play in the Heat's first game on Friday, with former Hoosier Kel'el Ware and former Michigan standout Vladislaw Goldin getting all the minutes at center. The Heat have four more games here, and Ballo's hoping to see some action.
He's been working out hard and has ''lost a lot of weight, like 30 pounds,'' he told me Friday night.
Former Indiana center Oumar Ballo is with the Miami Heat during NBA Summer League, but he's still rocking his IU gear.
Former Indiana center Oumar Ballo is with the Miami Heat during NBA Summer League, but he's still rocking his IU gear. / Becky Rigel/Indiana Hoosiers on SI
Ballo, who went undrafted last month, is in a tough spot because he's an old school center with no perimeter game. That's a tough sell in the NBA these days. But at least he's getting a shot, and it was good to see him.
Same goes for Kel'el Ware. I got to know him well in Bloomington, where he made the most of his one year with the Hoosiers. He wound up being drafted No. 15 overall by the Heat and was a critical part of their attack the final half of the season. He had a very solid rookie year.
Former Indiana center Kel'el Ware has made an immediate impact with the Miami Heat, and is an important part of their future.
Former Indiana center Kel'el Ware has made an immediate impact with the Miami Heat, and is an important part of their future. / Becky Rigel/Indiana Hoosiers on SI
Ware played here in Vegas a lot last year, and we chatted after every game. He's back for another run, but probably not for very long. "That's up to Pat (Riley, the Heat's president),'' Ware told me after Friday's game, where he 10 points in a loss to Charlotte. "It's always good to be playing, though, and there's always something to work on.''
Hood-Schifino missed Saturday's game with an injury, but he's in a decent spot with the 76ers. Miller Kopp, who played in the G League for Oklahoma City the past two years, is trying to stick with the Detroit Pistons. And Bates, who still gets a lot of love from Indiana fans, is playing with the Denver Nuggets.
Some former Hoosiers just come to watch, and support their young teammates. Trayce Jackson-Davis, who just finished his second season with the Golden State Warriors, was here on the sidelines Friday night with several of his teammates.
Dubs in the building pic.twitter.com/Ub7tMAZHPa
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) July 12, 2025
I'm looking forward to the rest of the week, and catching up with a lot of guys. Even some former Big Ten guards are really playing well, like Northwestern's Brooks Barnhizer, Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis, and Michigan's Kobe Bufkin. I've watched a lot of Big Ten basketball the past six years with my two college sites, and they're fun to watch on the next level, too. So is Cooper Flagg, the next big thing. He's here too, of course, the first overall pick of the Dallas Mavericks.
I'll take another lap around the two gyms here on the UNLV campus again on Sunday. Who know who I might run into?
You never know around here.