With the closest team 40 miles away and Newport Coast’s Kobe Bryant retired, Orange County’s connection with the National Basketball Association these days isn’t obvious.
Take a closer look and you’ll find a Costa Mesa businessman, Albert Hall, with strong ties to the sport who’s trying to boost OC’s slice of the basketball pie.
His sports marketing firm, Hall Pass, a 10-person company located in an office park near John Wayne Airport, is behind what’s become the premier NBA Summer League, held every year in Las Vegas.
The company will oversee the 15th edition of the tournament this month.
“We’ve mostly kept our heads down and let our work speak for itself,” Hall told the Business Journal last week. “The league has grown beyond our expectations, and we are gearing up for the best and busiest one yet.”
Close to 150,000 people will attend this year’s tournament—its official name is the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League—which takes place July 5 through 15.
Zion Sighting
The league typically features just-drafted rookies, lesser-known players in their first few years in the NBA, and others looking to grab a coveted roster spot on a team next season.
This year’s edition will get extra attention, with New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, the most-hyped rookie since LeBron James, expected to play. Others likely to play include New York Knicks draftee guard/forward RJ Barrett and Orlando Magic second-year center Mohamed Bamba, who missed much of his rookie season due to injury.
All 30 NBA teams are participating in the league, plus the addition of two international teams. Games will be broadcast on NBA TV and ESPN, among other outlets.
Hall argues the event is about opportunity for businesses as well.
“This event is really all about the business of basketball.”
If you don’t recognize Hall’s name, you’ll likely recognize the sponsors and partners he has brought on since he took over management of the league in 2004.
MGM Resorts is the title sponsor for the third year in a row; the NBA came on as an official partner and streaming provider in 2007; ESPN followed just recently in 2017.
Before that, getting the best coverage for the league “was done on a wing and a prayer,” he said.
Six-Team Start
A former baseball player and lifelong basketball fan, the Seattle native got his start in the industry working for the SuperSonics in the ’90s.
A gig with the University of California-Irvine brought him to OC in the early 2000s, when he reconnected with former Sonics colleague Warren LeGarie.
“At the time, there were several summer leagues, and we had the thought to bring it all together,” Hall said. “Once we realized that Las Vegas was a viable option in a good location, it became a great opportunity for us.”
Six handshakes with just as many teams later, the league launched under the duo’s new business entity, VSL Properties.
That firm operates the league, which is owned by the NBA.
Financial details of the league haven’t been disclosed, but it’s been profitable for several years, according to Hall.
In 2018, a record 139,972 people attended the league, held at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas. More than 145,000 attendees are expected to attend games this year, generating close to $30 million in direct visitor spending.
Natural Expansion
Hall Pass’ employees were hard at work during a late June tour of the company’s Costa Mesa headquarters, prepping for the upcoming tournament.
It’s clear the employees double as huge fans—basketball relics and mementos can be found all over, from hoops inside and outside the office to desks made from team courts.
The conference room table, for example, was constructed from the Toronto Raptors court, where Kobe Bryant played his final all-star game.
Hall Pass primarily specializes in basketball marketing opportunities. It was an organic spin off from the summer league.
Hall spearheaded the marketing of the league before it even started, generating buzz and bringing on sponsors. He launched Hall Pass in 2005, which was initially just responsible for all things related to the summer league in terms of marketing.
It has since grown to hold an extensive roster of clients, from shoe companies like Adidas and Nike, to luxury car brands to internet providers.
Services it provides include digital and broadcast marketing campaigns, brand consulting, events, “any way we can help businesses leverage the sports industry,” Hall said.
In addition to social media marketing and advertising, the organization hosts an internship program that employs 120 students and young professionals for the summer league, some of which have moved on to work with Hall Pass.
It has ancillary brands and programs, including the NBA Coaches Association, and is prepping to launch its newly built TV studio for interviews with coaches, players, or businesses looking for marketing opportunities.
“We started with nothing, and now it’s a seven-figure company with zero debt,” Hall said. “I’ve always seen the potential for this company, and I’m excited for it to become even bigger.”
While Hall likes Orange County as a home base for the firm, he admits there isn’t much basketball business here.
He wants to change that.
“We want to do more work here. We feel there are tremendous sports marketing opportunities for firms like Taco Bell and Chipotle,” Hall said.
Each of those two OC firms used last month’s NBA Finals to market themselves, Irvine-based Taco Bell through an official sponsorship with the league, and Newport Beach’s Chipotle through an ambush marketing effort.
Others here with ties to the NBA include Irvine’s Kia Motors America, a longtime sponsor.
