Entrepreneur and philanthropist Vinny Lobdell is bringing back his Summer Slam this July, and some extremely prominent folks will be participating in the second-annual event to promote Syracuse basketball and benefit every Orange sport.
Syracuse.com reported on Wednesday that Lobdell's second-annual Summer Slam will take place on Wednesday, July 22, at his estate in Skaneateles, N.Y. Last year's event raised $500,000, Lobdell said, and the Syracuse basketball booster anticipates raising even more money this time around, which is fabulous.
According to the Syracuse.com article, proceeds from the 2026 Summer Slam will go toward benefiting One Orange Alliance, which was formerly known as SU Football NIL and has evolved into a third-party marketing agency that will support all 20 'Cuse varsity sports with name, image and likeness deals.
A huge thanks to Lobdell for all that he does for Syracuse basketball and other SU sports teams. By the way, you can read more about last year's Summer Slam, including where the proceeds went to, via Lobdell's Web site.
Syracuse basketball supporter Vinny Lobdell is bringing back his Summer Slam.
Most notably, at least to me, this July's event will include a discussion with Orange first-year head coach Gerry McNamara and Carmelo Anthony. The two won a national championship together on the Hill in 2003, and Melo's son, Kiyan Anthony, is a rising sophomore guard at the 'Cuse.
Per Syracuse.com, the Summer Slam will feature a 3-point shooting contest and a slam-dunk contest. Carmelo Anthony will serve as a judge in the slam-dunk contest.
Said Lobdell: "Everyone’s excited about Gerry. This is another way to support him and the program. Last year’s event was a big success, and this year is shaping up to be the biggest event yet. We’re going to amplify it and make it even better."
Love it.
Since McNamara took over as the head coach of his alma mater in March, there's been a lot of talk about the financial components of the Orange's roster construction for the 2026-27 campaign. It's a brave new world out there in the recruiting arena, with much of recruiting being dictated by money - and that includes both third-party NIL agreements and rev-share, where schools directly pay their athletes.
How much money McNamara and his staff have for their 2026-27 roster isn't entirely clear, although reports have indicated a budget of roughly $10 million. Syracuse's incoming athletics director, Bryan Blair, has said that the Orange hoops program has possessed "significantly more" financial resources this offseason for its roster as compared with last year.
In late March, Syracuse.com reported that Lobdell was putting together a group that he's hopeful will raise between $4 million and $5 million for 'Cuse hoops. It's not clear to me if those funds would go toward SU's rev-share or be used for third-party NIL purposes.
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