June is such a wild stretch in the NBA. The league crowns a champion, holds a draft and hurdles into trade season and free agency, all in about two weeks. Everyone could use a few days to cool off, right?
While much of pro basketball works the phones, the young and the hopeful start July in either Northern California or the Utah mountains. That’s where NBA Summer League gets its limited opening. The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings are joint hosts of the California Classic, while the Utah Jazz lead a Salt Lake City round-robin showcase of their own. Together, these five days of exhibitions offer fans some laid-back looks at developing talents and dark-horse hoopers.
Full summer league play goes down in Las Vegas from July 9-19, with coverage on Prime Video and ESPN properties. But there’s a fair share to appreciate in the preludes.
No. 2 draft pick Darryn Peterson is on the Jazz’s Salt Lake City roster, as is last year’s No. 5 pick, Ace Bailey. Golden State puts recent NCAA champion Yaxel Lendeborg on the court. Darius Acuff Jr. debuts in Sacramento. The Brooklyn Nets are set to reintroduce themselves with Mikel Brown Jr., and the Atlanta Hawks make the trip with Kingston Flemings.
Check out the full schedule below. All times are ET.
You can watch NBA Summer League games on Fubo (Stream Free Now).
Darryn Peterson is an ‘awesome fit’ offensively with Utah Jazz
Zach Harper and CJ Moore
NBA Summer League rule changes
The California and Salt Lake City circuits introduce two trial runs to the summer league.
All foul shooters take a single free throw, with that one shot worth the number of attempts it replaces, until the final two minutes of a game. To spell that out:
The free throw is worth one point after a technical foul or an and-1.
It’s worth two after a standard shooting foul.
It’s worth three after a 3-point attempt.
There are also “connected basketballs,” which use embedded censors to collect data for future refereeing. They’re meant to get more accurate whistles for rulings like out-of-bounds calls.
2026 California Classic schedule
The eighth annual California Classic is split between the Warriors’ Chase Center in San Francisco and the Kings’ Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Seven NBA franchises form the eight-team scramble — Golden State expands its invitations to fill out “Blue” and “Gold” rosters.
Current Warriors Moses Moody, Will Richard and Gui Santos are California Classic alumni. Lendeborg gives it a go now. Kings forward Keegan Murray led all scorers in the 2022 edition; Acuff highlights Sacramento’s roster this time.
In addition to Golden State, the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers have participated in all eight California Classics.
Miami used the 2025 competition as a true proving ground. Pelle Larsson broke out at the event with 16.5 points per game, then went on to make 54 starts in an improved sophomore campaign. Kel’el Ware and Keshad Johnson also played steady minutes last year. The 2026 roster has recent NCAA standouts like Vladislav Goldin and Ryan Conwell.
The Heat, sudden employers of Giannis Antetokounmpo, are at the Chase Center. The Milwaukee Bucks, no longer employers of Giannis Antetokounmpo, are on the other side of this field at Golden 1 Center. No. 10 pick Brayden Burries leads the new-look Bucks in Sacramento.
Los Angeles has featured the likes of Max Christie, Bronny James and Dalton Knecht in the last three California Classics. The Lakers now roster 2026 draftee Cameron Carr and undrafted free agent Robbie Avila … better known as “Cream Abdul-Jabbar.”
Brown, the No. 6 draft pick this year, is a part of the Nets’ plans in Sacramento. Brooklyn also brings four of its five first-round picks from 2025 — Egor Dёmin, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf.
Elsewhere, Carter Bryant goes from NBA Finals minutes to summer scrimmages with the San Antonio Spurs. The Western Conference champs are letting new first-rounder Tarris Reed Jr. show his stuff as well.
Friday, July 3
Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs, 8 p.m. at Chase Center | ESPN, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors (Gold), 10:30 p.m. at Chase Center | ESPNU, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Saturday, July 4
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Golden State Warriors (Blue), 3 p.m. at Golden 1 Center | ESPN+, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Brooklyn Nets vs. Sacramento Kings, 5 p.m. at Golden 1 Center | ESPN+, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Sunday, July 5
Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 3 p.m. at Golden 1 Center | ESPN+, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 4:30 p.m. at Chase Center | ESPN, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Golden State Warriors (Blue) vs. Sacramento Kings, 5 p.m. at Golden 1 Center | ESPN+, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors (Gold), 7 p.m. at Chase Center | ESPN+, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Monday, July 6
Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs, 7:30 p.m. at Chase Center | ESPNU, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Golden State Warriors (Blue) vs. Brooklyn Nets, 8 p.m. at Golden 1 Center | ESPN+, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Miami Heat vs. Golden State Warriors (Gold), 10 p.m. at Chase Center | ESPN+, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m. at Golden 1 Center | ESPNU, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
2026 Salt Lake City Summer League schedule
All six exhibitions are at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on the University of Utah campus. This is year No. 11 for the event, which claims current Jazz star Jaren Jackson Jr. and former Jazz star Donovan Mitchell among its alums. Some emergents from 2025 include the Memphis Grizzlies’ GG Jackson and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Ajay Mitchell.
This year’s OKC squad is headlined by 7-foot-3 rookie Aday Mara, who won a national title this spring alongside Lendeborg. Memphis has totally smashed the reset button after its Ja Morant trade, so let’s see if the Grizz test out their incoming class of Cameron Boozer and Karim López.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ VJ Edgecombe made his pro debut in Salt Lake City last July. It turned into a 28-point highlight reel with nasty transition dunks and smooth finishes. Bailey also saw his first NBA action in that game, but he went just 3-of-13 from the field.
The spotlight falls on Peterson this time around. The second pick in June’s draft has become a national fixation — for both his undeniable scorer’s touch and his full-body cramp crisis. Peterson now dons the white-and-purple Jazz jersey after an unsettled freshman season in Kansas blue.
Atlanta gets early looks at Flemings, the eighth pick, and fellow first-rounder Zuby Ejiofor in SLC.
Saturday, July 4
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 3 p.m. | ESPNU, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Atlanta Hawks vs. Utah Jazz, 5 p.m. | ESPNU, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Monday, July 6
Atlanta Hawks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 7 p.m. | ESPN, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Utah Jazz, 9 p.m. | ESPN, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Tuesday, July 7
Atlanta Hawks vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 7 p.m. | ESPNU, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Utah Jazz, 9 p.m. | ESPNU, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, Prime Video
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