Bronny James's rookie season is already behind him. He'll spend a portion of his offseason competing with the Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League team for an opportunity to work on his game alongside the NBA's newest draft class.
Before the main festivities in Las Vegas, James and the rest of the Lakers' summer team are taking part in the California Classic, which is a shorter exhibition gathering in San Francisco. They conclude their trip in the Bay with a contest against the San Antonio Spurs and No. 2 pick Dylan Harper.
The Lakers earned a primetime slot in Vegas to kick off the NBA 2K26 Summer League where they will play Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks on July 10 for the No. 1 pick's debut game.
During his rookie season in L.A., James made 27 appearances for the Lakers, including one start. He averaged 2.3 points per game in those appearances in just 6.7 minutes a contest. He spent most of his time and earned most of his minutes in the G League with the Lakers' affiliate South Bay Lakers. In 18 games over South Bay's regular-season schedule, he averaged 18.6 points, 4.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 33.6% from three.
Ahead of year two, James is looking to refine his craft and earn more minutes to become a consistent part of the Lakers' rotation. That journey starts in Summer League and continues over the offseason. Here's everything you need to know about James and the Lakers for Summer League:
Last year's first-round pick Dalton Knecht will join James with the Lakers for Summer League. Adou Thiero—L.A.'s lone pick from the 2025 draft—is not on the team's official Summer League roster, but he may end up joining when the trade he was involved in becomes final. Here is the full Lakers roster for their Summer League competitions:
Player Position Professional Experience
Darius Bazley Forward Six Years
RJ Davis Guard Rookie
Eric Dixon Forward Rookie
DaJuan Gordon Guard One Year
Bronny James Guard One Year
Trey Jemison III Center Two Years
TY Johnson Guard Rookie
Arthur Kaluma Forward Rookie
Dalton Knecht Guard One Year
Augustas Marciulionis Guard Rookie
Sam Mennenga Forward Rookie
Julian Reese Forward Rookie
Sir'Jabari Rice Guard Two Years
DJ Steward Guard Four Years
Cole Swider Forward Three Years
Ethan Taylor Guard Rookie
The Lakers will play eight total exhibition games over their two Summer League stops—three in San Francisco for the California Classic and five once they get to Las Vegas for the NBA 2K26 Summer League. They open their schedule in Vegas with a primetime showdown against No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks to kick off the festivities. The opponent and date for their fifth game in Vegas will be determined by the results of the first four games. Here is a complete schedule for the rest of the Lakers' Summer League games:
Opponent Location Date / Time
San Antonio Spurs Chase Center (San Francisco) July 8 @ 10 p.m. ET
Dallas Mavericks Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas) July 10 @ 8 p.m. ET
New Orleans Pelicans Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas) July 12 @ 8:30 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Clippers Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas) July 14 @ 10:30 p.m. ET
Boston Celtics Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas) July 17 @ 9 p.m. ET
Four-Team Tournament & Consolation Games (opponent TBD) TBD (Las Vegas) July 18-20 (day and time TBD)
All of the Lakers' Summer League games—in California and Las Vegas—will be broadcast nationally across ESPN properties as well as NBA TV. They have a handful of games on ESPN, including the primetime game against Flagg in the Mavs to kickstart the competition in Vegas. Here's where you can watch the rest of the Lakers' games during Summer League:
Opponent Date / Time Channel
San Antonio Spurs July 8 @ 10 p.m. ET ESPN
Dallas Mavericks July 10 @ 8 p.m. ET ESPN
New Orleans Pelicans July 12 @ 8:30 p.m. ET ESPN2
Los Angeles Clippers July 14 @ 10:30 p.m. ET NBA TV
Boston Celtics July 17 @ 9 p.m. ET ESPN
Four-Team Tournament & Consolation Games (opponent TBD) July 18-20 (day and time TBD) TBD
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