NBA Summer League 2026: Championship Sunday Is Here!

Hey there! Imagine the NBA, but with baby versions of the teams — that’s basically the NBA Summer League. It’s a chance for new and young players to show what they can do. Here’s the fun stuff that happened and what’s coming up, explained super simply.

5 Stories In Today’s Edition

July 19, 2026

• Dubs Halt Lakers: Golden State stops L.A.’s undefeated streak to reach summer finale
• Grizzlies Go Off: Another fast start and Coward’s 28 points send Memphis to championship game
• Championship Preview: Grizz, Dubs meet again with NBA Summer League rings on the line
• Saturday Roundup: Bucks leave Vegas on high-note with No. 10 pick Burries’ game-winner
• Inside & Out: First-looks at top picks in uniform at the Rookie Photo Shoot, plus Rookie survey results

But First …

The final day of the NBA’s summer sessions…

• Championship Sunday: The Grizzlies and Warriors meet in Vegas for the second time this week, this time to decide the 2026 NBA Summer League Champion (9 ET, ESPN)
• Summer Send-Off: Prior to that, two final consolation games tip, with the Nets facing the Thunder (4:30 ET, ESPN), followed by Nuggets vs. Raptors (6:30 ET, ESPN2)

Important Point: Today is the last day of Summer League 2026 — two teams will win a special summer ring tonight!

1. Warriors End Lakers’ Perfect Run To Reach Vegas Finale

Only one team went a perfect 4-0 at the 2026 NBA Summer League: the L.A. Lakers. Make that six straight wins when factoring in the California Classic earlier this month. But bookending the Lakers’ scorching stretch was the Golden State Warriors.

The Dubs (then a split-squad) handled this summer’s hottest team on Day 1 of the Cali Classic, then followed that up two weeks later by sending L.A. home in the NBA Summer League semifinals in Vegas.

• Warriors 92, Lakers 88: After a back-and-forth game of 18 lead changes, 10 ties and no double-digit leads, Golden State returners LJ Cryer and Will Richard put the Dubs ahead and helped them stay ahead, to move on to the NBA Summer League Championship Sunday.
• Cryer ignited for 9 of his 16 points in the 4th and Golden State carried a one-possession lead through the final 90 seconds, holding the Lakers without a field goal, before Richard stole L.A.’s inbound pass with 7 ticks left, and iced the game at the free throw line.

Strength In Numbers (Easy Bullets)

• Graham Ike (11 reb) joined Cryer at the team-leading 16-points mark, with No. 11 pick Yaxel Lendeborg (15 pts, 5-8 FG, 2 blk) right behind them
• “It means a lot. We worked really hard to get here,” Lendeborg said… “We’re gonna continue to do our best and try to bring it home.”
• Warriors’ M.O.: Cryer and Chance McMillian (14 pts) hit four triples apiece for Golden State, with McMillian going a perfect 4-for-4 from deep, helping the Dubs shoot a stellar 50.0% (12-24 3FG) on 3s
• That flourish moved Golden State up to 38.2 3P% for NBA Summer League, 2nd-best in Vegas this summer and the only Semifinalist ranked in the top-8
• “It feels good… being able to showcase all your hard work,” Cryer said. “All the late nights in the gym, the early mornings, [are] paying off.”

Golden State kept L.A. under 90 points for the first time in this Summer League, but the Lakers still finish ranked 1st in plus/minus (+13.2) and 2nd-best field goal percentage (49.1%).

No. 24 pick Cameron Carr capped off a standout summer season, pressuring returner Adou Thiero (18 pts, 10 reb, 3 stl, 6-6 FG) for the team-high with 17 points.

• “I can only be where my feet are at right now, and we just lost the game,” Carr said postgame. “So I can just go to the drawing board, keep learning and keep growing as a player.”
• “It was big-time,” Carr said of his overall Summer League experience. “I got to lean on a lot of good players that have been here a little bit… be a sponge…”
• “It’s a blast. It’s fun getting to play with these guys, and of course win.”

2. Coward Propels Memphis Past Houston, Into Championship

It was a 21-0 opening blitz Thursday that put Memphis on-track to a 32-point win and a burst up the standings into the NBA Summer League playoffs. Saturday in the Semifinals, the Grizz did it again, claiming the 1st quarter 24-9 for another wire-to-wire win — and a spot in the Summer League finals.

• Grizzlies 101, Rockets 90: Cedric Coward (28 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 4 3s, 9-19 FG) led all scorers in his highest-scoring game of Summer League, fueling the Grizzlies past Quadir Copeland (24 pts, 9-13 FG, 2 stl) and the Rockets to reach the Championship tilt in Vegas.

Coward & Crew Notes

• “They made it really, really competitive. That’s a good team,” Coward said of Houston. “They’re physical, just like us. They got guys that talk and walk, just like us.”
• Birthday Boy: No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer (12 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast) filled the stat sheet to celebrate turning 19 years old. His birthday wish? Another win in Sunday’s Championship
• Building Up: After averaging 14.7 ppg in his first three Vegas outings, Coward surged to 23 points Thursday and leveled up again Saturday when it mattered most
• That included an unconscious start to the 2nd half, where Coward drained three 3s and 11 points in the first 5 minutes of the 3rd without a miss
• “It’s all my teammates,” Coward said. “My teammates are the ones that get me in rhythm. The start of the 3rd quarter, all of [those shots] were kickouts… my teammates just put me in the right position to score.”

Houston rookie Bruce Thornton, June’s 31st Draft pick, also spread out the stats (8 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast) as the Rockets concluded their summer schedule 3-2.

3. Championship Preview: Grizz & Dubs Meet Again In Summer Send-Off

Championship Sunday is here, the final day of NBA Summer League 2026, on the heels of Saturday’s Semifinal wins for Memphis and Golden State.

On the one side of this rematch from earlier in Vegas? No. 3 pick Cam Boozer and Memphis. The other? No. 11 Yaxel Lendeborg and the Golden State Warriors. (9 ET, ESPN).

Quick turns are nothing new for either of these summer squads. Each sat outside the playoff picture as recently as Thursday, before big third wins catapulted them through the tiebreaker on point differential.

How They Got Here

• Offensive Grind: Memphis earned its No. 2 seed with NBA Summer League’s 2nd-best point differential (+11.4 ppg), resulting from its top-4 scoring offense (97.6 ppg)
• Patented Grit: A top-10 rebounding team in Vegas (39.6 rpg), Memphis out-rebounded the Rockets 55-39 in the Semis, for a 20-10 advantage in second-chance points
• Iron Horses: Boozer (18.4 ppg) and Cedric Coward (19.0) are one of just four pairs of NBA Summer League teammates to each play in five games and average over 15.0 ppg throughout
• Coward said feeding off emotion is a key for this Grizz squad: “Whether it’s me scoring and rebounding, or whether it’s Cam getting that big, old board, or whether it’s [Javon Small] getting a dunk, whatever it is.”

Golden State charges into the Championship as the only team to beat the Lakers (twice) all summer, thanks to its clicking mix of returners and a key lottery pick.

• Warriors’ Way: Owning Vegas’ 2nd-best 3P% (38.2), Golden State is top-10 in overall scoring (93.8 ppg) with the 5th-best FG% (44.8), 5th-best point differential (+5.8 ppg) and 5th-ranked in rebounding (41.0 rpg)
• “Just doing little things to show that we’re all winners and we can impact winning at any level,” Lendeborg said of his teammates’ approach to Summer League

Golden State and Memphis were the only possible pairing of the Semifinal four that had previously matched up this month in Vegas, with the Grizzlies topping the Dubs back on Tuesday 106-85.

• Last Time Out: After a tight 1st half, Memphis dominated the 3rd quarter 29-13 to cruise to a 21-point win, a differential that put them in position for Thursday’s standings leap
• Rooks’ Key Matchup: The 6’9 Lendeborg (15 pts, 9 reb, 2 stl) outscored 6’10 Boozer (12 pts, 7 reb, 3 stl) Tuesday, in a duel that will play a big role in today’s Championship as well
• Grizz Attack: Memphis got seven players into double figures in that win, led by Javon Small’s 26, with 20 more from Brendan Hausen
• Fight Fire With Fire: Both teams shot 32 3s in that Tuesday matchup, with the Grizz holding the Bay to just 10 makes (31.3 3P%), while hitting 17 of their own

4. Roundup: Burries’ Game-Winner Highlights Consolation Slate

Brayden Burries’ Bucks (2-3) may not have made Saturday’s Summer League Semifinals, but the No. 10 overall pick had one last impression to leave on Las Vegas.

• Bucks 96, Sixers 94: Burries (game-high 27 pts, 5 ast, 9-18 FG) went the length of the floor and powered down the lane to break a 94-94 tie, hitting the game-winner with 1.5 remaining, besting Gerald Ayayi’s 22 points for Philly (2-3).

  • Bucks’ Rooks Finish Strong: No. 13 pick Nate Ament helped Milwaukee to a double-digit halftime lead by piling up 9 of his 12 points in the 1st quarter

• Wizards 91, Hawks 83: Washington (3-2) held Atlanta (3-2) to 5-of-31 shooting from distance (16.1 3P%) and mounted a 13-0 4th-quarter run to close the summer season with a win and hand the Hawks a second straight loss after starting 3-0.

  • Rookie Roundup: Lottery picks AJ Dybantsa and Kingston Flemings did not appear, but second-rounders Felix Okpara (12 pts, 8 reb) and Henri Veesaar (6 pts, 4 reb, 2 blk) dueled down low
  • Twin Twenty-Twos: Washington’s John Camden (4 3s) and Atlanta’s Devon Higgs (7 reb) led all scorers with matching 22-point efforts

• Spurs 86, Suns 81: Phoenix erased the game’s only double-digit lead in the 4th quarter, coming back from down-10 to tie it up at 74-74 with 2:42 to play. But San Antonio’s Miles Kelly (20 pts) took it from there, personally outscoring the Suns with a 12-7 closeout.

• Magic 103, Celtics 97: Orlando (4-1) finished NBA Summer League with four straight wins after Malik Reneau (3-3 3FG) scored all 19 of his points in under 13 2nd-half minutes to help build a 15-point lead, which helped the Magic survive the C’s (3-2) late 26-13 run.

• Pacers 91, Pelicans 73: Indy pulled away from a 2-point halftime edge with a 29-12 3rd quarter. Jalen Slawson paced the Pacers with 22 points, getting past Dominique Daniels Jr.’s game-high 25. Both teams finish the summer 2-3 in Vegas.

5. Rookie Photo Shoot: Jersey First-Looks And Tough Questions

You’ve seen them in their new team colors this summer – now get a first-look at the 2026 Draft class in their NBA threads for the first time, at the Rookie Photo Shoot in Las Vegas.

Plus, NBA.com’s Shaun Powell takes us beneath the surface looks, to the inner thoughts of the next wave of players about to realize their NBA dreams:

“… What’s on the mind of players from the Draft Class of 2026? Here’s a sampling of poll questions tossed to select incoming rookies and their responses:”

Question: In your first game, you have a choice: game-winning shot or game-saving steal or block?

• Kington Flemings, Hawks: “Game-winning shot. That’s like once in a lifetime. In your first game? Yeah.”
• Meleek Thomas, Cavaliers: “Game-saving stop. Because I can guarantee that I’ll get in the next game if I get a stop. If I hit the shot, that just meant somebody went to double Donovan (Mitchell) and left me open and gave me a chance.”

(Read More at NBA.com rookie roundtable link)

Photos from the shoot included top picks like AJ Dybantsa (1st, Wizards), Darryn Peterson (2nd, Jazz), Cameron Boozer (3rd, Grizzlies), Caleb Wilson (4th, Bulls), and many more from the 2026 class.

Summary

Today is Championship Sunday of the 2026 NBA Summer League! The Golden State Warriors beat the undefeated Lakers (92-88) to reach the finale, thanks to clutch plays by Cryer and Richard. The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Rockets (101-90) behind Coward’s 28 points and Boozer’s birthday double-double. They meet again at 9 ET on ESPN for the summer crown. Earlier consolation games saw Burries hit a buzzer-beater for Milwaukee, plus wins by Wizards, Spurs, Magic, and Pacers. Finally, rookies got their first official photo shoot and shared fun thoughts on their dream starts.

FAQ

What is the NBA Summer League?
It’s a casual basketball event where NBA teams use young, new, or developing players to play games in Las Vegas (and other spots) each summer.

When is the 2026 Championship game and how can I watch?
Tonight at 9 ET on ESPN — Grizzlies vs. Warriors.

Who are the top rookies mentioned?
Cam Boozer (Grizzlies, 3rd pick), Yaxel Lendeborg (Warriors, 11th pick), Cedric Coward (Grizzlies), LJ Cryer (Warriors), and Brayden Burries (Bucks, 10th pick) among others.

What does “point differential” mean?
It’s the difference between points a team scores and points they allow. If you win 100-90, your differential is +10 for that game.

Did any team go undefeated before the semis?
The Lakers were 4-0 in Vegas and 6 straight wins overall, but lost to the Warriors in the semifinals.