They were the hottest tickets in town.
The NBA Summer League got underway in Las Vegas on Friday and the first day in Sin City had a strong Australian flavour, with rookies Tyrese Proctor and Rocco Zikarsky seeing their first minutes while second-year guard Johnny Furphy also got a run with the Indiana Pacers.
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But the real highlight of the day was the marquee match-up between Cooper Flagg, the 2025 first overall pick, and Bronny James.
In fact, according to TickPick, it was the most expensive summer league ticket of all time with lower bowl seats selling for $650 ($A987) while if you wanted to be courtside it would set you back $2,500 ($A3797).
The average price for seats was around $US223 ($A339), with the cheapest coming in at $85 ($A129).
Fortunately for the fans in attendance, they got an extended look at both Flagg and James.
James played 21 minutes, scoring eight points (2-for-8) to go with two assists and two rebounds while Flagg emptied the clip in a 31-minute performance, putting up 10 points along with six rebounds and four assists.
The Mavericks won the game 87-85, with Ryan Nembhard — brother of Pacers star Andrew — leading the way on 21 points for Dallas.
James was productive from the jump, making his first two field goals — a mid-range jumper over Flagg and then a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer.
“He looks, right now, like he is out here to do damage this summer,” ESPN analyst Tim Legler said in commentary.
James struggled to get the buckets to fall from that point but played strong defence and was often guarding Flagg, seemingly locking the No.1 overall pick up at one point only to be called for a foul.
James constantly found himself in the spotlight in his rookie season but there are hopes that with less pressure and more size to his frame, the 20-year-old could develop into a solid rotation player for the Lakers this year and Legler was impressed with what he saw on Friday.
“When you compare it to what you saw out of him a year ago when he was just trying to survive out there, that’s not what I saw out there tonight,” Legler said.
“He looked much more comfortable... he has a plan and a purpose.”
Flagg, meanwhile, didn’t shoot the ball well but there were plenty of positives to come out of Friday’s game for the first overall pick.
“The sky is the limit because of his intensity and how badly he wants to be great,” Legler said.
To start with, even when the buckets weren’t going in, Flagg continued to aggressively hunt his shot and had nine in the first quarter alone.
Flagg showed off his ability to finish in transition and soared for a near poster that came up short but still showed off his incredible athleticism and reach.
The Mavericks also leaned on Flagg as the primary ball handler, with the Lakers immediately double-teaming him on his first possession in what coach Jason Kidd described as a “sign of respect”.
Flagg’s defence was also as advertised, with the former Duke standout finishing Friday’s game with three steals and a block, while he also showed off his skills as a connective piece.
It was just a small glimpse into the well-rounded game that made Flagg one of the safest first overall picks in years, with Kidd full of praise for Dallas’ latest addition.
“I think Cooper’s done an incredible job with all the minutes,” Kidd told ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
“He’s handled the ball, he’s got wide-open shots for teammates, he’s finished. I think you’ve seen a lot of what he can do in this league.”
With Kyrie Irving not expected to return from an ACL injury until later in the season, the Mavericks will be leaning on the likes of Australian Dante Exum and D’Angelo Russell to help run the offence but Kidd said he will also draw on Flagg to fill the void.
“I think when you have someone like Cooper who can handle, who can shoot, who can pass, you want the ball in his hands,” added Kidd.
“He’s a great decision maker. He did that at Duke and also in high school, so you get to see it tonight. He’s going to have some mistakes. We all did. We all threw it in the stands once in a while, but I think just as boys, as an 18-year-old, it’s incredible.”