The road to being an NBA reporter —  and this year’s Summer League reporter —  has been a long one for Ashley Nevel. 

An Arizona journalism grad in 2013 and co-founder of the Sports Journalism Club on campus, Nevel covered UA basketball and football as part of the inaugural ESPNU Campus Connection program, an experience that she says still amazes her. From there, Nevel got credentials to cover Summer League, showing up to the chaotic Vegas environment with nothing but a selfie-stick and a phone looking to take advantage of an opportunity. 

“I had no one to film for me,” Nevel said. “I was just grabbing interviews left and right. I was getting Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, Tom Thibodeau, big NBA names.”

That’s when she met the genius behind Sin City’s Summer League extravaganza: Warren LeGarie. Nevel stayed in touch with the director of NBA Summer League, sending him occasional reels. The connection payed off as Nevel now works for LeGarie as an official Summer League reporter. ]

“It’s just crazy how things go in full circle,” Nevel said. “I’m not gonna say the journey hasn’t been hard because you might have something so great for the moment but then you’re thinking ‘what’s my next move?’”

On top of that, Nevel also has her own show titled “The Nevel Up-Date,” which is anywhere from 5-12 minutes long. While it may sound easy, she is a one-person army putting it together, so it’s not a stroll in the park.

“Making and editing a show like that is very tiring; it’s very difficult,” Nevel said. “Because not only do you have to be getting what you’re talking about camera, but you have to write it down, you have to get the clips —  all this other stuff.”

The biggest aids for Nevel have been the relationships she’s built with others in the sports media industry. From making stops covering AAU games to covering the Super Bowl and Final Four, Nevel has had a well-rounded but ever-evolving exposure to sports.

In this year’s Vegas Summer League, Nevel gets personal one-on-one interviews — as well as her own camera man — with players and any NBA celeb that might walk into the scene. Nevel’s key to working her way into this position has been her exuberant on-camera personality. 

“I like to be fun and interactive and not always ask the hardest questions,” Nevel said. “I like the guys or girls to feel comfortable when talking to me about anything. Sports are supposed to be fun.”

And what better place to have fun covering sports than in Vegas for two weeks?

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