Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James scored his first three-pointer in the NBA Summer League Wednesday night, shooting 2-for-5 from beyond the arc for a 12-point night against the Atlanta Hawks. Los Angeles won the game 87-86.

In his first three Summer League games, James has roughly conformed to expectations, proving to be very green while occasionally showing flashes of potential. After a dreadful pair of games, in which he shot 4-for-19 from the field and 0-for-11 from three-point range, he appeared more comfortable and in his career-best performance Wednesday.

“I feel like I know the right way to play,” James said. “So if I go out there and play my game every game, results like that will come.”

James only played in college for one season, and even that experience at USC was marred by a cardiac arrest he suffered shortly before the season in 2023. Joining the Trojans in a delayed debut, he went on to score just 4.8 points per game. The team did not come close to qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.

The Lakers have already confirmed that James, their second-round pick with a four-year, $7.9 million contract, will not play a prominent role on the team during the season. Still, with his father, LeBron James, signing a two-year, $104 million extension with Los Angeles on the same day that Bronny signed, it’s likely that the 19-year-old appears on the floor at some point.

While James finds his way in the Summer League, fellow Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht has been very impressive early on. The first-rounder from Tennessee was not available Wednesday against the Hawks, but he averaged 22 points in his first two games against the Rockets and Celtics. He figures to be a promising option off the bench for Los Angeles when his rookie season formally begins in October.

After a forgettable debut, Victor Wembanyama had a way better second outing in his game against the Portland Trail Blazers before the Spurs decided to shut him down for the rest of the Summer League. San Antonio didn’t need to see much more of the former number-one overall pick from this past NBA draft, as it will likely be the last Summer League game for Wemby.

The 7’5″ French phenom had a shaky start last month, as the 19-year-old was rusty and looked nervous playing with a sold-out crowd at Thomas & Mack Center in Vegas against the Charlotte Hornets. In front of nearly 19,000 people, Wemby was disappointing in his first action for San Antonio and only had nine points total, while going 2-for-13 shooting from the field, including going 1-for-6 from beyond the arc. Even with eight rebounds and five blocked shots, the superstar was outshined in the same game by former second overall pick of this past NBA draft, Brandon Miller.

Wemby only played 40 minutes.

“Honestly, I didn’t really know what I was doing on the court tonight,” said Wembanyama, as he stated conditioning was an issue that will have to be improved on before the NBA regular season.

“Even though it was only 40 minutes tonight when I was subbed out I was always tired and exhausted,” he said. “So, I think there’s a lot of conditioning to do.”

Despite his struggles offensively, his wingspan alone will make him a decent defender, as there are a few highlight blocks from Wemby playing in his first 2K24 Summer League game.

All eyes will be on the highly touted rookie, as the hype prior to the draft rivaled the likes of LeBron James back in 2003. But way more has to be done if he wants to reach any sort of potential, even with the likes of Hall of Fame Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

The 74-year-old coach for San Antonio is currently the highest-paid head coach in the NBA, after signing a contract extension more than a week ago. Pop getting the chance to draft and coach Wemby was likely a reason why he decided to stick around on the court for this coming season, as opposed to the office as the president of the team.

Just having Wemby playing in just two Summer League games propelled it to the second-most-watched Summer League ever, as his debut was the second-most-watched Summer League game ever also with 1.39 million viewers. This was only behind Zion Williamson and his debut back in 2019 for the New Orleans Pelicans against the New York Knicks, per Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, at 1.61 million viewers.

Although his second matchup wasn’t as viewed, there still was a crowd. Wemby did have some interesting quotes prior to his second Summer League game against the Portland Trail Blazers more than a week ago.

When comparing the NBA with the Meta92 French team, Wemby noted that the NBA is “less physical” in comparison but faster, while also mentioning there is way more talent on the court in the NBA. He did prove in the second game that he can hang, as the star rookie redeemed himself with a way better performance, despite the loss against Portland without the former third overall pick of this past NBA draft Scoot Henderson.

Wembanyama had 27 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks on 9-of-14 shooting, as that would be enough to conclude his Summer League game appearances for the Spurs. Showing growth already in just his second game, Wemby was less impressed with his stat line and was focused on missing out on a win.

“I wish we could have won the game,” Wembanyama said. “I think I could have done more to help my team win the game. We got to keep learning. We haven’t been playing our best for like three quarters. Then in the fourth quarter, we were really dominating. It shows the personality of the team.”

“I think personally, it’s normal to get better every game. Two days ago was my first game.”

Wemby started off his second game slowly like his debut but after a pull-up jumper and dunking in the second quarter, things started to change for him.

“I told him at shootaround this morning, I said, ‘We got to get you going early,’ and you see what happened,” Spurs guard Blake Wesley said. “He had 27 tonight. When he gets going, he gets on fire.”

Wemby seems ready and prepared for the NBA season when it kicks off in late October, as he is just focusing on basketball for the three months prior to training camp, which is slated to start in early October.

“Like this past month, I think basketball wasn’t even 50% of my schedule,” Wembanyama said. “I can’t stand it. I know it’s a special moment in my life, but I’m just glad it’s over honestly. I just want to hoop, workout, and lift.”

“I just know that as I’m not playing in the World Cup,” Wembanyama added, “I’ve got two to three months – two to three great months – that are coming up and they’re going to change my life.”

Just playing 54 minutes in two games, Wemby had an up-and-down summer. However, it was enough for the Spurs to see him in action and to decide to sit the young superstar.

Wemby will get a much-needed break, as the French phenom has been out and about for the past year. The 19-year-old was in the French playoffs up until a few days before the draft in June, to then follow up with the Summer League.

This isn’t even mentioning the weird altercation between Wemby’s security and Britney Spears prior to his debut, as Spears tried to congratulate him at the ARIA hotel and casino in Vegas. She attempted to gesture by touching his shoulder before Wemby’s bodyguards intervened. This unusual situation led to the filing of an official police report and the former top NBA pick has been in the headlines ever since.

That is no surprise he’s been in the spotlight, as Wemby was scouted early on and was labeled as the next big thing for the NBA, even bigger than normal big men at the center position. This will likely continue into the regular season, as eyes will be on him and his connection with Pop.

His development will be key early on, as Wemby recently spoke about his head coach. “I could follow him with my eyes closed,” he said, along with other lines of optimism about him and Pop working together before the season starts.

This could be a special connection Spurs fans will want to witness on the court over the next few years, as San Antonio has missed the last four playoffs and will need to make some sort of progress that results in wins, despite having one of the younger teams in the NBA.

Houston Rockets‘ Jalen Green shined in his NBA Summer League debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Green spent last season playing for the Ignite in the G League and declared for the 2021 NBA Draft. Green was drafted by the Rockets with the second pick. Using his experience from the G League, he was able to make an impressive Summer League debut. Green scored 23 points, five rebounds and two assists in their 84-76 win over Cleveland. Green shot 9 of 18 from the field. The guards’ 23 points led all the starters.

“The ultimate goal for the G League Ignite was to be a pro and learn the game as much as we can before we head up to the NBA,” Green said after the game. “I think we accomplished that. We learned how to be a pro on and off the court. I think I showed it tonight.”

Green sure accomplished that with his scoring in the first game of the Summer League. Fellow teammate Alperen Sengun also shined in the game. Sengun recorded a double-double in the game. Sengun was the 16th pick of the draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder and traded to Houston. The Turkish player scored 15 points and brought down 15 rebounds in 27 minutes played. He also had four blocks in the game.

The Rockets were without guard Armoni Brooks, who was out due to COVID-19 protocols.

Tacko Fall‘s towering 7’6” build alone draws eyes towards him no matter what anytime he trots onto the hardwood. However, thus far during the NBA’s Summer League, Fall’s consistent and impressive play alongside his stature continue to add fuel to a spotlight shining directly on him as he works toward earning a roster spot with the Boston Celtics.

Despite his gifts, Fall never heard his name announced through the loud speakers at the NBA draft this summer. The UCF product still managed to work his way into the NBA however, joining the Celtics as an un–drafted free agent. Looking to prove his worth, Fall so far averages a pleasantly surprising 8.5 points per–game while shooting 76% from the field. Fall puts his height to use as well, also snatching 4.5 rebounds and swatting 1.8 shots per–game. Most recently, Fall helped the Celtics defeat rookie phenom Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies after scoring 12 pints and blocking four shots while playing just 17 minutes en route to a 113–87 victory.

Fall also enjoyed his most most impressive moment thus far against Memphis, as he converted two back–to–back alley–oops, getting the crowd out of their seats and stretching Boston’s fourth quarter lead out to 28, capping off a blowout victory with an exclamation point. “I’m still stunned that no one even spent a late second round pick on this guy,” said an unnamed NBA scout after the game when referring to Fall. “The risk-reward upside is phenomenal.”

Aside from scouts and coaches, fans seem to appreciate Fall’s performances as well, as the big man often finds himself bombarded with kids looking for autographs and pictures, that is, if they can manage to fit into a frame with him. Players already attaining established roster spots such as Enes Kanter also appears as another member apart Fall’s growing fanbase, adding to Fall’s hype by issuing an encouraging tweet last week. With Celtics already a playoff team flooded with talent, the G–League stands as likely place for Fall to end up after this year’s summer league tournament sings its swan song.

As that all stands months away from Fall, he remains committed to helping Boston continue to excel during summer league contests, as the team currently posts an undefeated 4–0 record. The Celtics and Fall play the Grizzlies once more Saturday, July 13 at 4:30 p.m. ETS.

Even though it is only the NBA Summer League, New York Knicks rookie RJ Barrett has gotten off to one of the worst starts imaginable for a rookie as highly regarded as he is.

The third overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft continues to struggle shooting the ball. Against the Phoenix Suns last night, Barrett shot just 3-of-15 from the field including 1-of-5 from three-point range. Barrett also shot just 1-of-4 from the free throw line and finished with eight turnovers. Coming off a season for the Duke Blue Devils where Barrett averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while finishing with first-team All-ACC honors, the stat-line by Barrett against the Suns is incredibly underwhelming.

https://twitter.com/AndreasHale/status/1148072699199012864

In the Knicks’ Summer League opener against the New Orleans Pelicans, Barrett finished the game shooting an ugly 4-of-18 from the field including 1-of-8 from three-point range. Through his first two games in the Summer League, Barrett is shooting 7-of-33 (21.2%) from the field including 2-of-13 from three-point range (15.4%).

SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019- IN MEMORIAM SLIDESHOW 

https://twitter.com/ChrisLewisTweet/status/1148060754773344256

Barrett has never been shy about shooting the ball. Last season at Duke, Barrett outshot teammate and the first overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, Zion Williamson, by 267 field goal attempts during the season (702 compared to 435). In the early stages of the Summer League, though, Barrett has looked extremely unconfident and nervous while playing. Hopefully, by the time that the NBA season rolls around in the fall, Barrett will be able to shake off these early career jitters that he has shown in Las Vegas.

https://twitter.com/ShervonFakhimi/status/1147336777092538369

“RJ’s figuring it out,’’ Knicks Summer League coach Jud Buechler said. “There’s been a ton of pressure on him, especially the hype of the first game against Zion. He did some great things, a bunch of rebounds, a defensive run. His shooting and all that will come. We’re not worried about that. We’re telling him to stay aggressive and it will come around.”

While the unpredictable storm that is NBA Free agency continues to rage on throughout the league with nearly every headline either hypothesizing about Kawhi Leonard or poking fun at the New York Knicks, the NBA Summer league begins this week with plenty entertaining headlines of its own likely to arrive.

Although the league’s top stars refrain from participating apart this summer tournament, rookies and second–year players log the most minutes as they prepare to elevate their play to the NBA level over the summer. Most notably, this crowd included New Orleans Pelicans phenom, Zion Williamson. Former Duke teammate R. J. Barret, Ja Morant, Bol Bol, and Coby White round out the rookie class alongside Williamson as likely candidates to put on a show, as most expect this draft class’s stars to take the league by storm. Today’s top players such as LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, and countless others all began their careers after stepping into the summer league to sharpen their skills, which Williamson and co. will now look to do.

Players outside this year’s draft class add into the mix as well. Michael Porter Jr. expressed his excitement to suit up after missing last year’s entire season as he stated, “I feel good. I just can’t wait to test myself in a real game.” Despite his inexperience, Porter remains an intriguing player with great talent… talent which warranted his selection at 14th overall during the 2018 NBA Draft even with an injury set to sideline him all season.

Aside from younger players, the summer league this year also includes fan favorite and veteran point guard Jimmer Fredette. Fredette frequently hops between the NBA and foreign leagues, as although his deep three–point shooting skills always excites fans, his overall lackluster talents restrain him as simply expendable, borderline NBA player. The 30–year old currently remains unsigned to a team as he looks earn himself an NBA contract during the tournament this summer.

The league will continue with a regular season type format as teams look to build up their records before entering into a bracket for a single–game elimination tournament, and eventually crowing a summer league champion. The New York Knicks hold the best odds to win the contest, at 10-1.

Josh Hart scored 37 points in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 112-109 Summer League semifinals victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, and broke a franchise record while doing so.

Lakers’ Josh Hart Breaks Franchise Record In Summer League

Hart surpassed Lonzo Ball’s (36) record for most points scored by a Laker during the Summer League. With the double-overtime win, the Lakers have reached the Las Vegas Summer League championship game two years in a row now. Hart’s nine rebounds also matched a game-high, and even though his performance amazed, the 23-year-old guard — a first-round pick out of Villanova in 2017 — said he was disappointed in having missed a pair of key free throws in overtime.

SLIDESHOW: 30 Best Sports Instagrams! 

According to several reports, Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson, head coach Luke Walton and general manager Rob Pelinka have all been praising Hart recently. Rumors have been swirling over the guard potentially winning the NBA Summer League MVP award.

The Lakers will play the Portland Trail Blazers in Tuesday night’s title game.

Hart was one of several people who decried recent acts of vandalism against a new mural of LeBron James in Los Angeles.

SLIDESHOW: Sports Figures Who Died In 2018

NBA rookies are bound to get rough with each other in their first year in the league, as they try to adjust to playing on the big courts.

Trae Young, Grayson Allen Fight In Summer League

Trae Young and Grayson Allen got caught up in a brief scuffle at an NBA Summer League game in Salt Lake City on Thursday night. While playing defense for the Utah Jazz in the third quarter, guard Allen — this year’s No. 21 overall pick out of Duke — pushed into Young, the Atlanta Hawks‘ fifth overall pick out of Oklahoma, and the two became tangled up. After Young shoved back, players from both teams rushed over to the pair, as did the referee, thus avoiding an all-out brawl.

SLIDESHOW: 30 Best Sports Instagrams! 

Allen and Young both drew technical fouls. After the game, Young noted how Allen had garnered a reputation as an overly aggressive player during his time at Duke. Allen was known for tripping players or committing other egregious fouls and then throwing tantrums on the sideline when he received fouls.

“That’s not the first time Grayson has gotten tangled up with someone, but it’s not the first time and last time I’m going to get tangled up with someone,” Young said, according to Newsweek. “It’s going to happen. This is the NBA. It’s going to be a physical game. Grayson is a physical player. I’m a physical player.”

SLIDESHOW: Sports Figures Who Died In 2018

The Jazz beat the Hawks 92-87 in Thursday’s game. Allen finished with nine points, eight assists and six rebounds in 27 minutes of play. Young logged 10 points, seven assists and four rebounds as well as one steal in 30 minutes.

Utah have won two of their three Summer League games thus far, while Atlanta have lost all three of their contests.

It remains to be seen whether Allen will continue his aggressive behavior or not once the NBA season actually starts.

Young ended up with the Hawks after a trade with Dallas in the draft that saw Euroleague Slovenian guard Luka Doncic land with the Mavericks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers over the weekend announced they will add forward Billy Preston to their summer league roster.

Ex-Kansas Commmit Billy Preston Joining Cavs’ Summer League

Yahoo Sports and ESPN revealed that Preston, a five-star recruit who committed to Kansas, would join the Cavs. The 6-foot-10 player was named a McDonald’s All-American last year.

SLIDESHOW: 30 Best Sports Instagrams!

Preston never actually played for Kansas, nevertheless, as he was reportedly part of a car accident that happened on the university’s campus. The NCAA subsequently debated his eligibility last fall to declare for the 2018 NBA Draft. Since the organization didn’t reach a decision on this, Preston signed with a team in the Bosnian league earlier this winter. However, the power forward suffered an injury and thus played just three games.

Preston, who gained a reputation as an agile player and adept scorer, was ultimately not drafted by any NBA team last week — despite being predicted by ESPN to be selected as a second-round pick — although ESPN reported that he met with several teams to work out.

SLIDESHOW: 10 Highest-Paid Athletes

Shooting guard Denzel Valentine scored the tying 3-pointer in regulation, then made a jumper at the buzzer in overtime to give the Chicago Bulls an 84-82 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Summer League finals in Las Vegas on Monday night.

Denzel Valentine’s Buzzer-Beater Gives Bulls NBA Summer League Title After Win Over Timberwolves

Valentine — who was selected by Chicago out of Michigan State as the 14th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft — was scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting through three quarters, but the 22-year-old kept fighting until the end. His 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining forced overtime after Tyrus Jones had just awarded the Timberwolves a 77-74 lead on a 3 with 3.6 seconds left.

Minnesota’s Xavier Silas tied the game again on a 3 with 11.7 seconds to go in OT, but Valentine worked the clock down before making his spinning jumper in the lane as Chicago finished 7-0.

https://vine.co/v/5Z6gpuvxbQe

“I’m here for a reason,” Valentine said. “The Bulls picked me up to be a confident player and come through when the team needs me and be a winner. That’s what I preached during my draft interviews. I just keep winning on my mind.”

Bobby Portis and Jerian Grant led the Bulls with 26 and 24 points respectively. Portis landed on the all-tournament team while Grant received championship game MVP honors.

Star guard Dwyane Wade, who joined the Bulls earlier this month on a two-year deal worth $47.5 million after 13 seasons with the Miami Heat, tweeted his congratulations to Valentine all the way from China, where he was promoting his new sneaker:

“They left me open for a reason because I didn’t make any shots during the game,” Valentine joked about the game-tying shot. “I would’ve left me open too.”

Assistant coach Charlie Henry drew up the play that Fred Hoiberg ran at least once last season, producing a game-winning Jimmy Butler 3-pointer.

“From the moment we saw him, the moment he came to work out for us, he’s a confident kid,” said assistant coach and summer league head coach Pete Myers. “He’s not afraid of the moment or the situation.”

Right on the same UNLV campus just hours before the Summer League championship game, the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team held its first training camp practice. The Olympics begin Aug. 5 in Rio, and the US hopes to be playing for a third consecutive gold medal on Aug. 21.

Jones, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2015 Final Four, added yet another award to his résumé this summer. The Timberwolves point guard won Summer League MVP honors and finished with 27 points.

ST LOUIS, MO – MARCH 18: Denzel Valentine #45 of the Michigan State Spartans in action during the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Scottrade Center on March 18, 2016 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

After 67 games over 11 days, the NBA summer league will end in Las Vegas and we will have to wait three months for basketball to officially start again. It’s exciting to have basketball games right after the NBA draft to see what the new prospects can do, but the excitement of the games is over-hyped. Individual performances are entertaining, but the team play leaves something to be desired.

According to ESPN on the night of UFC 200 there were 16,000 basketball fans in Thomas and Mack Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to watch the No. 1 pick Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers play the No. 2 pick Brandon Ingram and the Los Angeles Lakers. A lackluster game with a wild finish, both players had less than ten points each, but Simmons had an impressive eight assist and ten rebounds.

There were glimpses of Simmons looking like a young Magic Johnson handling the ball and taking it strong and finishing an aerial, acrobatic shot. Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, who had a slow start but ended up being the game’s leading scorer with 22 points, hit the game winner to give the Lakers a 70-69 win. There were many Laker fans in attendance who cheered like it was the NBA Finals. 

NBA summer league showcases rookies just drafted, other players from the team, and undrafted players and free agents that might be looking to get picked up by teams. The first few games look like an awkward middle school dance. Low scoring games, and not a lot of team chemistry, and less than impressive level of talent than the days when LeBron James entered the league. Pump fakes look less polished and dunks are less authoritative.

It’s not awful, it just isn’t what it used to be.

There have been some impressive performances. For example, rookie Kris Dunn from Minnesota had a great opening weekend and Chicago Bulls power forward Bobby Portis, had a great closing weekend.

Yes the games have been close, but short of insane blocks in the 2016 NBA Summer League, past NBA Summer leagues looked more impressive and intense, with fewer fans in the stands. Remember when Blake Griffin, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Derrick Rose were just babies? They came with it.

Minnesota guard Tyus Jones won the NBA Summer League MVP for 2016. The Timberwolves were given a 24 seed and will meet the No. 2 seeded Chicago Bulls in the NBA Summer League Finals. Jones led the Timberwolves to four straight wins to bring the team to the championship game. He averaged 19.4 points, 6.3 assists over seven games during the Summer League.

The top three players with the highest scoring averages are two second year players and one third year player. Trey Lyles, who will be going into his second year with the Utah Jazz, is at the top of the points chart averaging 29 points per game, followed by Phoenix Suns second year guard Devin Booker, with 26 points per game and Cleveland’s Jordan McRae with 24.3 points per game. Dunn follows closely behind in fourth place with 24 points per game.

Another NBA Summer League is almost over and even though the basketball isn’t what it used to be we will still miss it until October.