NBA Summer League games are usually of interest only to the hardest of hardcore fans. The summer games feature rookies, G-League players, undrafted free agents and other long shot, but hopeful, NBA prospects in games that don’t really matter except to the players taking part in them. But Thursday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks summer league squads at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas drew national interest. Why?
The reason is pretty simple. On the Dallas Mavericks’ side, the game marked the professional (college NIL deals aside) debut of 2025 No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg.
Flagg vs. James Matchup in National Spotlight
For the Summer League Lakers, the 2024 No. 55 overall pick Bronny James took center stage. Of course, James has been the subject of national fascination not because of where he went in the draft or any outstanding talents he has displayed â but because he is the son of the legendary Lakers star and all-time NBA scoring leader LeBron James.
The 20-year-old James, who played one season at USC before entering the NBA draft last year, has become known as a defensive specialist.
Flagg, the most highly anticipated American player to enter the NBA since the senior LeBron James himself was drafted at No. 1 in 2003, is considered an all-around player expected to excel in every aspect of the game.
So naturally, James guarded Flagg repeatedly in Thursday’s game. And even though the contest was won by Flagg and the Mavericks, 87-85, the 18-year-old native of Maine called his pro debut “one of the worst games of my life.”
“Not up to my standard. But Iâm going to regroup and be all right. Itâs a new feeling, new environment, new teammates,” Flagg said after the game. “Weâll be all right.â
Flagg scored his first professional bucket on an impressive breakaway dunk off a steal on the opposite end of the court.
In the second quarter, Flagg attempted to pull off another monster dunk, only to clang the ball off the front rim.
Though Flagg finished the game with a rather shaky 5-21 shooting performance, including misses on all five of his three-point attempts, on at least one occasion the 6-foot-9-inch Flagg got the better of his one-on-one matchup with the younger James, sinking a mid-range jumper over his 6-foot-2 defender.
James Praises Flagg: ‘Something Special’
When it was all over, reporters asked James for his views on the matchup with Flagg, and the Lakers second-year shooting guard â who was born about 16 months after his father was drafted out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, offered his thoughts on the NBA’s anticipated next superstar.
“He’s got like a half a foot on me, so I’m just trying to stand my ground,” James told the gathered media contingent. “I got to stand my ground down there and make sure I’m not getting bullied anywhere on the court.”
But what about Flagg? James had only good things to say in offering his feelings about the Mavericks highly-hyped rookie.
“He’s great. I mean, I watched him all in college and he’s an amazing player,” James said.”I have the utmost respect for him. He’s going to be something special.”
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