Cooper Flagg, Mavs vs. Bronny, Lakers Was 4th-Most Watched NBA Summer League Game Ever

Thursday night’s matchup between Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks and Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers was the fourth-most-watched Summer League game ever, per ESPN.

The 2025 Las Vegas Summer League opening night showdown between the No. 1 overall pick and the son of a legend drew an average audience of 955,000 viewers, peaking at 1.12 million. The broadcast marked a 167 percent increase from the 2024 Summer League average.

In 2023, former No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs bulldozed their way into second place on the all-time Summer League viewership list during their matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, drawing 1.39 million viewers. That game helped make the 2023 Summer League opening day the most-watched on record at the time.

Taking the top spot was the 2019 Summer League matchup between Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans and the New York Knicks, which drew 1.61 million viewers. The game marked the debut of the No. 1 overall pick out of Duke in 2019 and remains the most-watched Summer League game to date.

Flagg, also a No. 1 pick out of Duke, struggled in his NBA debut despite showing flashes of explosiveness and poise. He finished with 10 points on 5-of-21 shooting, including 0-of-5 from beyond the arc, while adding six rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block.

James, appearing in his second Summer League with the Lakers, recorded eight points on 2-of-8 shooting, along with two rebounds and two assists.