It was clear why Golden State and Memphis were facing off in Las Vegas for the Summer League title Sunday night. Usually, when a high draft pick (or a good second-year player) has a few good games at Summer League, the team pulls him for the rest of the event to avoid potential injury.
But Memphis took the court with two likely starters from the team that will take the court in October: No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer and second-year forward Cedric Coward.
Golden State took the court with No. 11 pick Yaxel Lendeborg — and he was the best player on that court Sunday night, scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds, leading the summer Warriors to the championship.
Yaxel Lendeborg, the 11th overall pick, wins the 2026 NBA Summer League Championship Game MVP!
— NBA (@NBA) July 20, 2026
🏀 21 PTS
🏀 10 REB
🏀 2 STL
🏀 WARRIORS W pic.twitter.com/bSa4XbBBi2
Golden State came from 10 down at the start of the fourth quarter to earn the 94-40 victory.
His performance in the title game capped off a Summer League where Lendeborg averaged 18.5 points and eight rebounds a game, earning him the Summer League MVP award.
No. 11 pick Yaxel Lendeborg's 21 PTS, 10 REB earns him the 2026 NBA Summer League Championship Game MVP! https://t.co/m4W8G3eNkO pic.twitter.com/rwXMf9h6ry
— NBA (@NBA) July 20, 2026
This was Lendeborg’s second title in four months, he also won the NCAA championship with Michigan. He is expected to get significant minutes with Golden State this season.
This was also Golden State’s second Summer League title, tying them with Portland and Sacramento for the most titles since 2013, when the Summer League in Las Vegas took its current form.
Coward and Boozer each had 19 points to lead the Grizzlies, with the duo combining for eight 3-pointers. However, Boozer missed a 3 with 13.5 seconds left that would have given Memphis the lead and control of the game. From there, the Warriors hit enough free throws to win.
Golden State also got 21 points from Deivon Smith, the undrafted point guard out of St. John’s who played last season in the G-League.
Deivon Smith with 9 straight points in the 1st quarter, as he keeps blowing by defenders, including a nice coast-to-coast And-1 finish (with replays) pic.twitter.com/1b9I2ocD2f
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) July 20, 2026
