Golden State Warriors win the 2026 NBA Summer League with a major comeback against Memphis
The Golden State Warriors won the 2026 NBA Summer League championship after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 94:90 in the final in Las Vegas. The game, played on July 19 at the Thomas & Mack Center, delivered a finish that completely changed the impression of the evening: Memphis led 78:66 after three quarters, but Golden State won the final ten minutes 28:12 and turned the game around. According to the NBA's official report, this is the Warriors' second title in the history of the competition and their first since 2013. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg made the biggest impact, finishing the game with 21 points, ten rebounds, two assists and two steals, and he was named the Most Valuable Player of the final.
Memphis controlled the pace, the Warriors stayed in the game
Memphis started the game better and held a narrow 24:23 lead after the first quarter. From the opening minutes, the Grizzlies increased their defensive pressure across the entire court, attempting to slow down Golden State's offensive organization and force their opponent to begin possessions late. The NBA's live report states that Memphis attempted 27 shots in the first quarter, nine more than the Warriors, showing how much the Grizzlies used offensive rebounds, turnovers and a greater number of possessions in the early stages. Golden State, however, stayed close thanks to the accuracy of Deivon Smith and LJ Cryer. Smith scored nine points and Cryer eight in the opening ten minutes, meaning Memphis was unable to create a more serious advantage despite its higher offensive volume.
The second quarter brought more evenly matched basketball and an increasingly prominent duel between two highly selected rookies, Lendeborg and Cameron Boozer. Lendeborg attacked the rim, sought contact and used his strength on drives, while Boozer responded with outside shooting and creation from the high post. The score was tied 47:47 at halftime, and according to the NBA's game tracking, Memphis was shooting above 60 percent from the field at that point, while Golden State reached the tie through a greater number of attempts and additional possessions. Cryer and Cedric Coward were their teams' leading scorers with 11 points each. That balance of power showed that the Warriors, despite periods in which Memphis looked physically stronger and more organized, had not moved away from their game plan.
Boozer led the Grizzlies' surge in the third quarter
Memphis' best period came after the break. Boozer scored ten points in the third quarter, while the Grizzlies used his composure, court vision and ability to attack from several different lineups. Late in the quarter, he made a three-pointer that gave Memphis a 78:66 lead and its largest advantage of the game. The NBA report also highlighted Carson Cooper's performance around the rim, where he used his height advantage and finished plays after passes or offensive rebounds. At that point, Memphis controlled the score, while Lendeborg was already burdened by personal fouls and Golden State had to find solutions with no room for another lapse in concentration.
The score after the third quarter was especially difficult for the Warriors because Summer League games consist of four ten-minute periods. A twelve-point deficit in that format leaves less time for a comeback than in a standard NBA game. Golden State therefore had to increase its defensive pressure, secure extra possessions and attack the paint without taking rushed shots. The comeback did not happen all at once, but through disciplined reduction of the deficit.
Lendeborg took responsibility in the decisive minutes
Golden State closed off the paint in the fourth quarter and forced Memphis into more difficult attempts, while offensively relying on Smith's energy and Lendeborg's versatility. According to the NBA report, Smith already had 18 points and eight rebounds midway through the final period, while the Warriors gradually reduced the deficit. Lendeborg then scored nine points in the quarter, including Golden State's final seven consecutive points during the crucial stretch. He made a three-pointer to take the lead and then a mid-range shot that put the Warriors ahead 91:87. His decisions during those possessions were also important because he did not force the same type of attack, instead punishing Memphis both with outside shooting and creation off the dribble.
Memphis did not surrender. With 1:19 remaining, Coward made a three-pointer to reduce the score to 91:90, turning the final back into a one-possession game. Boozer then received an open three-point attempt from the top of the key, but the ball did not go through the rim. Golden State closed out the final with free throws, while Memphis did not score again after Coward's three-pointer. The final score of 94:90 meant that the Warriors won the fourth quarter by as many as 16 points. In a game in which they had been in an inferior position for most of the second half, defense, rebounding and composure in the final possessions proved decisive.
Smith and the perimeter players provided the necessary depth
Lendeborg deservedly received the Most Valuable Player award for the final, but Golden State would not have reached the title without the contribution of its perimeter players. Deivon Smith finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, making nine of 14 attempts from the field. Particularly important was the fact that he produced that performance off the bench, giving coach Khalid Robinson an additional source of energy when the starting lineup was unable to maintain the pace. Smith attacked the rim, collected loose balls and accelerated the game after defensive rebounds. His contribution showed that the final was not decided solely by Lendeborg's individual brilliance, but also by the depth of the Warriors' rotation.
LJ Cryer added 15 points and six assists, including four made three-pointers, while Will Richard finished with 13 points and four rebounds. Malevy Leons scored ten points, giving Golden State several players capable of punishing the Memphis defense when it focused on Lendeborg. According to the NBA's official live report, the Warriors held a 50:40 advantage in rebounds and a 52:40 advantage in points in the paint. Those figures explain why Golden State remained competitive even when its outside shooting did not consistently provide answers. The team created additional opportunities through physical play and converted that advantage into control of the pace in the closing stages.
After the game, Robinson emphasized the team's unity, stating that the players had supported and stood by one another from the first day. The Warriors did not try to erase the deficit with a single play, but returned through a series of defensive stops and high-quality offensive possessions. In a competition in which rosters are assembled for a short period, clearly defined roles can be just as important as individual quality.
Memphis was left without a final response
The defeat does not diminish the quality of the tournament played by Memphis. Cameron Boozer finished the final with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Cedric Coward also scored 19 points and added six rebounds and four assists. Javon Small scored 16 points off the bench, while Taylor Hendricks added 13 points and five rebounds. Through three quarters, the Grizzlies managed to impose a physical style of play and use the depth of their roster, but in the final ten minutes they could not find a sufficiently stable offense. After Golden State reduced the space for drives and took control of the rebounding battle, Memphis relied too heavily on difficult outside shots.
Boozer's miss in the final minute will remain one of the most memorable moments of the final, but the entire game offered a broader picture of his potential. Memphis selected him with the third pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after his season at Duke. In the final, he showed that he can score from the paint and the perimeter and take part in organizing the offense, while the ending revealed how adapting to the higher level will require faster decisions under pressure. For the Grizzlies, that assessment is more important than the defeat itself.
Revenge for a heavy defeat earlier in the tournament
The final had an additional storyline because the same teams had already met in the preliminary stage of the competition. Memphis won that game 106:85, handing Golden State its only defeat in Las Vegas. Five days later, the Warriors were given an opportunity for revenge in a game with the title at stake, and they used it in dramatic fashion. Golden State responded better to Memphis' physical play in the final and did not allow the earlier convincing defeat to become a psychological burden.
The route to the final was also demanding for both teams. The Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 92:88 in the semifinal, with Lendeborg scoring 15 points, while Memphis beat the Houston Rockets 101:90. Coward led the Grizzlies in that game with 28 points, while Boozer recorded 12 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. According to the format published by the NBA, all 30 teams played four games before the top four advanced to the semifinals. The standings were determined by win-loss record, and in the event of a tie, head-to-head record, point differential and total points scored were used, depending on the number of tied teams.
Lendeborg continued his winning streak after a college title
For Yaxel Lendeborg, the title in Las Vegas represents a continuation of an exceptionally successful period. Golden State selected him with the 11th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after he won the NCAA championship with Michigan and was named the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year in the 2025/26 season. According to the NBA, he became only the second player to win both the college championship and the NBA Summer League in the same year. Before him, Tyus Jones achieved the feat in 2015. Such a comparison does not guarantee what kind of professional career Lendeborg will build, but it shows that in a short period he went through two different forms of tournament pressure and finished both as a winner.
His performance in the final was especially important because it came at a moment when Golden State needed a player ready to take responsibility without disrupting the structure of the offense. In the closing stages, he selected solutions that matched the Memphis defense. The three-pointer for the lead and the made mid-range shot demonstrated his offensive range, while his rebounds and steals confirmed his impact without the ball. The Warriors therefore received an indication of how his versatility could translate to the higher level.
The Warriors' second title and a return to the beginning of the tournament era
Golden State won its first Summer League title in 2013, when it defeated the Phoenix Suns 91:77 in the final. According to the NBA Communications archive, it was the first edition of the competition to feature a tournament system and an official champion, and the Warriors finished undefeated. Ian Clark was named the Most Valuable Player of the final after scoring 33 points, while an important part of that team was also made up of players trying to earn places in NBA rotations. Thirteen years later, the Warriors returned to the top, this time after a path that included a defeat in the preliminary stage and two close games in the final rounds. They thus became one of the few franchises with multiple titles since the Summer League champion began being decided by a final game.
The NBA announced that the 2026 edition was the 21st staging of the Summer League in Las Vegas. The competition lasted from July 9 to July 19, included all 30 NBA teams and featured 76 games. Each team played at least five games, while the top four after the first four games advanced to the playoffs. Such a format allows clubs to evaluate rookies, members of the developmental G League and candidates competing for contracts. In addition to the result, the players' response to new roles, short preparation periods and the pressure of the closing stages is also important.
A title does not guarantee NBA minutes, but it changes the starting position
The Summer League cannot fully predict success in the NBA season. The level of experience, style of play and rosters differ significantly from what awaits the players in the autumn, when they will face the best professionals and more complex tactical systems. Nevertheless, games like these can change the way clubs enter training camp. Lendeborg confirmed his status as an important Warriors project, Smith increased his visibility with a strong final, while Cryer and Richard showed that they can respond in a game with intense pressure from the score. For players on the edge of the roster, such a performance can influence decisions about contracts and roles on the developmental team.
For Memphis, the defeat in the final produced a different but equally useful assessment. Boozer and Coward showed that they can carry a large part of the offense, but the final quarter revealed how much work the team still has to do on solutions when the opponent changes its defensive approach and slows down transition play. The Grizzlies showed depth and physical quality during the tournament, and reaching the final confirmed that several young players can establish themselves in future combinations. Golden State, on the other hand, left Las Vegas with the trophy and proof that its young group can respond after a heavy defeat, a 12-point deficit and a finish in which every possession carried weight. It was precisely that resilience that defined the final and turned a developmental tournament into one of the first memorable basketball stories of the 2026/27 season.
Sources:
- NBA – official report on the final between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies (link)
- NBA – live report from the final day of the Summer League, the course of the ending and post-game statements (link)
- Golden State Warriors – team review of the final, statistical highlights and the context of the earlier defeat to Memphis (link)
- NBA – official format, rules and qualification criteria for the 2026 NBA Summer League (link)
- NBA – facts, history and scope of the 2026 Summer League edition in Las Vegas (link)
- Golden State Warriors – information on Yaxel Lendeborg's selection in the 2026 NBA Draft and his college season (link)
- Memphis Grizzlies – official announcement of Cameron Boozer's selection with the third pick in the 2026 NBA Draft (link)
- NBA Communications – archived report on the Warriors' first Summer League title in 2013 (link)