Biggest winners of the NBA Summer League!
2026 NBA Summer League: The Standouts Who Stole the Show
The dust has settled in Las Vegas. After eleven days of run-and-gun basketball across three venues, the Golden State Warriors are Summer League champions, and one of the deepest draft classes in recent memory has already started separating itself. Here's a look at the players who made the biggest impact this summer.
Chicago Bulls - Caleb Wilson
Caleb Wilson had the most impressive Summer League debut of anyone in Las Vegas, posting 35 points, five rebounds, two steals and three blocks, while shooting 7-of-11 from three. Wilson only made seven threes in his entire freshman season at UNC, and he equalled that mark in a single Summer League game. Summer League is a good chance to test yourself against other good young NBA talent, but it isn't a true indication of how his three-level scoring will translate to the NBA. Still, for Bulls fans, this should be read as upside: it shows Wilson has been working on his three-point shot, and has the confidence to pull up off the dribble rather than relying only on catch-and-shoot looks like he did in college. Wilson ended Summer League averaging 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.5 blocks, a genuinely impressive start for the young, confident forward.
Golden State Warriors - Yaxel Lendeborg
No player had a better month than Yaxel Lendeborg. The No. 11 overall pick out of Michigan became the first player in Summer League history to sweep both the overall MVP and Championship Game MVP awards, capping his run with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double in Golden State's 94-90 win over Memphis in the final.
Across six games, Lendeborg averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, four assists and 1.5 steals in just over 28 minutes a night, shooting 45.9 per cent from the field. It's a fitting follow-up to his college season - Lendeborg helped Michigan win its first national title since 1989 before turning around and winning a Summer League crown just months later, joining Miami's Davion Mitchell as the only players to pull off that double in the same calendar year.
All-Summer League First Team
The league's 30 teams voted on the honours, and alongside Wilson and Lendeborg, three more names rounded out the class. Cameron Boozer of the Memphis Grizzlies was arguably the most consistent player in Vegas, averaging 18.5 points to go with eight rebounds and four assists in the championship game loss to Golden State. Milwaukee's Brayden Burries averaged 23.5 points across four appearances, announcing himself as one of the rookie class's most dangerous scorers. And Cleveland's Meleek Thomas led all scorers, averaging a tournament-best 27.3 points across four games, headlined by a 24-point outburst in a win over Chicago.
Statistical Leaders
Scoring
Meleek Thomas – 27.2 PPG
AJ Dybantsa – 25.0 PPG
Will Riley – 25.0 PPG
Caleb Wilson – 23.5 PPG
Darryn Peterson – 23.0 PPG
Rebounding
Khaman Maluach – 12.8 RPG
Brooks Barnhizer – 9.6 RPG
Hannes Steinbach – 9.2 RPG
Rienk Mast – 9.0 RPG
Johni Broome – 9.0 RPG
Assists
Sergio De Larrea – 8.8 APG
Zyon Pullin – 7.8 APG
Braden Smith – 7.0 APG
Kingston Flemings – 6.8 APG
KJ Simpson – 6.5 APG
Other Names Worth Knowing
AJ Dybantsa only suited up for two games in Las Vegas before Utah shut him down, but the No. 1 overall pick made them count - 25 points a night on efficient volume, with an ability to get to the free-throw line that immediately draws comparisons to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. His three-point shot, just 1-of-11 across the two games, is the clear item on his summer to-do list.
Denver's Trevon Brazile was one of the tournament's quiet risers, dropping 32 points on 11-for-19 shooting, including 6-for-12 from three, in a win over Oklahoma City. Keaton Wagler, the No. 5 overall pick, steadily improved across four appearances, finishing at 18.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists a night. Morez Johnson turned heads defensively, posting 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, three blocks and 2.5 steals across two games.
The Big Picture
With the top-four picks — Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson — all living up to their draft billing, and second-year names like Meleek Thomas pushing into the conversation, this year's Summer League has set the stage for one of the more anticipated rookie seasons in recent memory. Training camps are still a couple of months away, but the early signs suggest this class is going to make an immediate impact.