Bill Raftery, college basketball’s poet laureate, calls 2026 Final Four

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Raftery was a three-sport star in high school and a New York Knicks draft pick before becoming America’s color commentator, with catch-phrases like “onions!” and “Send it in, Jerome!”
CBS analyst Bill Raftery’s life story includes nuns and onions and the Roaring ’20s, and bar-hopping with Bill Murray. And it’s almost all true.
Raftery will work his eighth Final Four in Indianapolis, and says: “They should have it there every year.”

INDIANAPOLIS – CBS color analyst Bill Raftery comes to the 2026 Final Four in Indianapolis fresh off another of Bill Raftery moment, another timeless call of a timeless basketball moment.

This was the East Region championship game this past Sunday, Duke leading UConn, and Duke has the ball with eight seconds left, now seven, now six, and Duke is going break the UConn press and win the game until something happens. The Huskies tip the pass, steal it, and now the ball is in the hands of Braylon Mullins, the sweet-shooting UConn freshman from Greenfield. It’s all happening so fast, but we’ll always have the video of Mullins’ 35-footer that sent the Huskies to the Final Four.

And we’ll have Raftery’s benediction.

“Utterly impossible,” he says, softly, but not for several seconds. First he steps out of the way, as the best color analysts do, allowing play-by-play man Ian Eagle to describe the play in an explosion of energy and emotion.

“March means drama!” Eagle shouts.

Then, nothing. At the scorer’s table at the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., Raftery and co-analyst Grant Hill are stunned silent. There is a camera angle of them just sitting there, bewildered, stunned – a reaction shared by millions of us, watching on CBS – before Raftery comes to life, putting the moment into his unique perspective.

“The deflection, the reaction, and then the major onions out of Indiana,” he says of the 2025 Mr. Basketball from Greenfield-Central. “They all can shoot. Nylon! From deep. Astounding.”

The call is only days old, but like Mullins’ shot – Raftery’s words buoyed by the shot, or perhaps vice versa – it will become timeless. It will become, like Bill Raftery, ageless.

Well, this is a story about Bill Raftery, the poet laureate of college basketball, so words matter. Precision is paramount, so let’s acknowledge that Bill Raftery does, in fact, have an age. And his age is everywhere – on his Wikipedia page, his Basketball-Reference.com page and in almost every story written about him these days, all of them getting around to the question people always ask:

How long are you going to do this?

Because Bill Raftery is 82.

“I’m a little older than that,” he says.

But wait. Your age is everywhere, I tell him – on Wiki, on Basketball-Reference.com, in almost every story written about you. Your Basketball-Reference page even has your age when you were a record-setting scorer in high school and then at La Salle. You were 19 at La Salle in 1963. You’re 82 now. The math adds up.

“Listen,” he says, “the age thing they did – they put it in years ago, and I never corrected it. I figured, what the hell?”

So you’re…

“So I’m older than everyone’s saying,” he says, then goes quiet. He doesn’t elaborate. Sometimes, as Raftery has learned over the years – as his Braylon Mullins call showed, and as his Irish-American mom insisted – silence is better.

Sometimes, it’s what you don’t say.

Bill Raftery, big-time La Salle scorer

The whole thing isn’t a lie, by the way. The stories about the Irish dance hall during the Roaring ‘20s and that baseball glove in 1962? The debut of his legendary call, “Onions,” coming in an NBA game? Closing down that bar with Bill Murray? True stories, all of them.

Only his age is incorrect, and Raftery is quick to say he has never lied about his age. He doesn’t know where the wrong number got its start – Wikipedia, Basketball-Reference, a reporter somewhere back in the day – but he didn’t do it.

“I didn’t exaggerate or lie,” he says. “Everywhere I’ve worked, they’ve known my age. And medicine, right? You have to get your medicine. You tell them your age, they give you your medicine. You can’t lie about it.”

So you’re not 82, I’m telling Raftery. You’ve got to be close – 83?

“I’m a little older than that, even,” he says.

Never mind that. And anyway, everything else about the Bill Raftery story, as unlikely as it is, stands up. He really did graduate from St. Cecila in Kearny, N.J., in 1959 with a state-record 2,193 points. He really did set the freshman scoring record at La Salle (370) before going to the varsity and lighting it up for 17.8 ppg in 1961.

He really did play soccer and baseball in high school, a center-midfielder and pitcher who earned all-state in all three sports (basketball too). Ask him for a baseball story, and you get this:

“Once we were playing in the Babe Ruth League,” he’s telling me by phone from his home in Florida, catching his breath between Washington D.C. and Indianapolis, only now he’s interrupting himself to ask a question:

“Who gave up that home run to Hank Aaron?”

No. 715? I’m thinking. A name occurs to me: Al Downing?

“Right, Al Downing,” he says. “I lost the (Babe Ruth) state title game to Al Downing 2-1 for the right to go to nationals. We were playing in Rahway. They were from Trenton. I got our only hit – swung hard, it hit the top of the bat, and as (Downing) went to get it, it spun farther away from him. I beat it out, but I realized then: I don’t think this game is for you.”

Bill Raftery’s untold story: baseball, Knicks, Ireland

Raftery played baseball for one year at La Salle. Ask him about it, and this is what you get.

“I pitched a few games poorly, then became the entertainment chairman for the team,” he says. “I do remember one time I was on the bench, talking, and Gene McDonnell our coach hollered my name – so I grabbed my glove and ran onto the field.”

Here comes the punch line.

“Unfortunately, we were up to bat. What happened was one of our guys hit a line drive that hit the first-base coach, and they wanted me to be the first-base coach. I’m out there with my glove, looking like a boob.”

No, here comes the punch line.

“Lenny Toff, who was an NBA referee, was also the umpire that day. He goes, ‘Hey, Billy – stick to basketball.’”

That’s how it happened, right here in America, but only because Raftery’s parents had come over decades earlier from Roscommon, Ireland. This was shortly after World War I, with the European political landscape shifting and many Irish families looking for something else and finding it in America. His parents passed through Ellis Island three years apart before settling in New Jersey.

“They met at an Irish dance hall,” Raftery says. “I’m sure there was beer involved.”

Frank and Margaret – “Frank and Mother,” as Raftery refers to them – had three kids. As you may have noticed from their youngest, Bill, the Raftery kids were taught not to talk themselves up … or to put others down.

“That was Mother’s doing,” he says. “You weren’t permitted to say anything about anybody. ‘But Mom, he beat me up at the playground!’ And she would say, ‘That’s enough, he’s a little diff.’ You don’t get in the gutter when you say ‘a little diff.’ There’s a guy you don’t want hang with – he’s a little diff. It covers all the spectrum, you know?”

As for his dad?

“Frank came over in 1921. The Irish need not apply in those days, you know? There was a problem getting jobs,” Raftery says, “but unions were hiring different ethnic people. He passed the state test to become a stationary engineer – heating and A/C, these days – and he’d have different Irish people, young guys, in the house and he would teach them how to pass the test. He wasn’t getting paid. It was just something he would do for somebody’s nephew or a friend’s son. He was a hard worker, kind, never pushy. Just a nice man.”

Ask Raftery about his basketball career, and he’ll acknowledge what you’ve learned – the points, the records – but he’ll volunteer only how it ended:

“I was the 800^th pick for the New York Knicks,” he says, exaggerating slightly, of the 1963 NBA Draft – when the Knicks selected him next-to-last, 82^nd overall, in the 14^th round. “I was the director of recreation for Kearny and trying out for the Knicks. I could keep both jobs if I made it. I went to summer camp and was invited back to fall camp and was cut there. I got home and Mother said, ‘What are you doing home?’ I got cut. She says, ‘Well, too bad about you – go get a job.”

“My mother was a sweetheart. She was just blunt.”

Words matter. The fewer the better, sometimes.

No ‘onions’ for Butler in 2010

Bill will talk about his famous calls – onions upon onions, plus Jerome sending it home – but only if you ask. Don’t ask, let the phone go quiet for a moment, and he’ll fill the silence.

“I was lucky to have a sister and brother,” he says, then talks about Rita and Fran.

Rita Raftery, a basketball star herself, stunned the family by entering the convent. She was a member of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth in Morris Township, N.J., for 62 years, and president of Saint Elizabeth University from 1997-2013. She died in 2020, at age 85.

Fran Raftery was a teacher and state champion soccer coach at St. Cecilia, then superintendent of the Moonachie (N.J.) Board of Education. He played the bagpipes. He died in 2019, at age 80.“She was sharp as a tack,” Bill says of his sister, “and my brother was a good man.”

Brevity, right? It’s what makes his calls so timeless, the way he can work his magic in just a few words.

“Onions!” he shouted when Villanova’s Kris Jenkins beat North Carolina at the buzzer in the 2016 NCAA title game. “Double order. Sautéed.”

Raftery was prepared to shout it six years earlier as he called the 2010 NCAA title game for CBS Radio, but Butler forward Gordon Heyward’s halfcourt heave at the buzzer bounced off the backboard and rim as Duke escaped 61-59.

“From my angle,” Raftery says, “it was going in.”

The ‘onions’ origin story, by Bill Raftery

Raftery doesn’t remember when he first used “onions” to describe a clutch basket, deferring to his play-by-play guy of a decade-plus, Ian Eagle, who worked alongside him for years with the New Jersey Nets.

“He’s usually right,” Raftery says of Eagle. “We were in Orlando. Kevin Edwards knocks down the 3 (to force overtime for the Nets). I’d never said it before, just blurted it out: ‘Onions!’ That was supposedly the first time. I don’t know why it came out.”

That was Nov. 8, 1995.

Seven years earlier, Pitt’s Jerome Lane had shattered a backboard against Providence. Raftery was on ESPN’s call for that one, and as the crowd was teetering and the rim was tottering, Raftery waited 10 whole seconds – letting the arena speak for itself – before shouting:

“Send it in, Jerome!”

Brevity, always. Bill Raftery is one of the great storytellers of our time – at a bar with Bill Murray, on the television in your living room – because he keeps it short. That Bill Murray get-together really did happen, by the way. It was during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, when Murray’s son, Luke, and the UConn Huskies were playing at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Raftery was there for CBS, one thing led to another courtside, and soon enough he and Murray are out on the town.

Murray picked up the tab.

UConn is in the 2026 Final Four, and Luke Murray is still on Danny Hurley’s staff – for one more week, anyway, before taking over at Boston College – which means Bill Murray and Bill Raftery, together again. I ask Raftery teasingly, because he feels like a friend after a few minutes on the phone, if Downtown Indy will be safe with the two of them in town.

“It’ll be safe,” he says, chuckling. “It’s a tournament. My family’s all coming in. We have several nights planned.”

Now he’s getting wistful.

“It goes quick, these NCAA Tournaments,” he says. “When you’re having the time of your life, it goes so fast. You wish it would linger more, you know?”

You do, and the same goes for Bill Raftery as America’s color commentator. You wish he could linger a little more, you know? But the end will come someday, as it comes for all of us. He’s 82, or 83 – or a little older than that, even – and though he changed representation last month, hiring the influential Creative Artists Agency (CAA), who knows how much longer he’ll be doing this?

“I always say to people: They’re gonna let me know,” he says. “Unless it’s a health thing, God forbid, usually it’s: ‘OK, pal, hit the bricks.’”

Until then, he’ll keep the same schedule. This is his eighth Final Four in Indianapolis – “They should have it there every year,” he says – and unless there’s a health thing, God forbid, or someone tells him to hit the bricks, he’ll be at the NCAA Tournament in 2027.

How old will he be in 2027? He still hasn’t told me his age, nearly an hour into our call, and here I thought we were friends. So I get blunt, like Mother might’ve tried. I tell him: Bill, pretend I’m the hospital and you need your medicine. How old are you?

“I’m…”

And he tells me. God’s honest truth, Bill Raftery tells me his age. But words matter, and sometimes silence is better. Sometimes, it’s what you don’t say.

More: Join the text conversation with sports columnist Gregg Doyel for insights, reader questions and Doyel’s peeks behind the curtain.

Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Threads, or on BlueSky and Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar, or at www.facebook.com/greggdoyelstar. Subscribe to the free weekly Doyel on Demand newsletter.

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Trump’s South Carolina Senate endorsement faces GOP primary challenge

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President Donald Trump has made his pick to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., but several Republicans eyeing his seat don’t care.

A handful of hopefuls vying to win the Republican nomination in August to take the reins from Graham have already announced their intent to jump into the race, despite Trump throwing his endorsement power behind Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., Graham’s sister who many believed to be a placeholder for the remainder of his term.

Trump on Friday, after meeting with Graham in the Oval Office, announced his “complete and total endorsement” for her to get into the race.

TIM SCOTT SAYS HE’D ‘LOVE TO SEE’ FOX NEWS HOST REPLACE LINDSEY GRAHAM

Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House.

President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 16, 2026. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

“I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026,” Trump said. “I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey.”

She has not yet committed, and the coveted Trump endorsement has not stopped Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., businessman Mark Lynch or the latest to jump in, Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., from entering the fray.

Fry, in particular, was just last week lauded by Trump as someone to watch. He also had spent time speaking with White House operatives about launching a bid, and a Trump endorsement seemed all but guaranteed.

GRAHAM’S DEATH IGNITES GOP SCRAMBLE FOR SENATE SEAT AS TRUMP HINTS HE ALREADY HAS A FAVORITE

A source in Fry’s political orbit told Fox News Digital that the lawmaker has “accomplished more than all the potential candidates combined,” having passed three bills in his first four years in Congress.

“This is really about giving voters a choice and not a coronation,” they said.

Still, Fry is not running away from Trump. In his campaign announcement, Fry noted, “Of the many things Lindsey Graham believed in, standing with President Trump and advancing the Republican agenda were among his defining principles.”

“There is no other way to put it: Lindsey Graham was one of a kind,” Fry said. “There is no replacing him, but I believe the best way to honor his legacy is to fight alongside the president just as steadfastly as he did.”

During this cycle, at least, the Trump endorsement has not proven a sure bet.

South Carolina-based Republican consultant Dave Wilson told Fox News Digital, “South Carolina voters want to have a choice and not be told who they need to be voting for.”

GRAHAM ALLY RIPS ‘THIRSTY’ REPUBLICANS JOCKEYING TO REPLACE LATE SENATOR

Rep. Russell Fry arrives at the Capitol Hill Club.

Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., arrives for the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington on May 13, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

“The president’s quick endorsement of Darline Graham was very symbolic,” Wilson said, but added, “We’re seeing in South Carolina that his endorsement didn’t carry as much weight as people thought it was going to.”

Wilson was referring to Trump’s endorsement of Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette ahead of last month’s GOP gubernatorial primary.

Evette was the top vote getter in the primary but lost the ensuing runoff election against South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in a landslide. And Trump, ever hungry for a victory, endorsed both Wilson and Evette days before the runoff.

Veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told Fox News Digital that a Trump endorsement is “a major boost for any candidacy, but it doesn’t necessarily give you a lock on the seat.”

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Just because Trump has thrown his weight behind Graham doesn’t mean others shouldn’t run, Williams contended. He noted that Senate seats rarely open up in South Carolina, and that when the opportunity presents itself, hopefuls need to seize it.

“If you’re an aspiring House member in South Carolina, this is your time to run regardless of whom the president is supporting,” Williams said.

“There’s no downside for running,” he continued. “They’re all going to run as Trump Republicans, and they’re all going to flatter the president on the campaign trail.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

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Fidelity launches its first ETF share classes, adding municipal income, real estate, and short-term bond options to its growing exchange-traded lineup

98295 fidelity etf share classes debut with three new funds for bonds real estate.jpg scaled

Fidelity Investments launched its first ETF share classes on June 18, 2026, adding exchange-traded versions of three established mutual fund strategies to its lineup: the Fidelity Intermediate Municipal Income ETF (FIMU), the Fidelity Real Estate Income ETF (FREI), and the Fidelity Short-Term Bond ETF (FSTB).

Each ETF share class is built on an existing mutual fund strategy, sharing the same portfolio, track record, and investment management team, according to Fidelity’s announcement. The three funds are listed on the Nasdaq and available to individual investors and advisors on Fidelity’s platform.

ETF share classes offer investors benefits that mutual funds don’t provide. By adding an ETF wrapper to a mutual fund, asset managers allow both traditional and exchange-traded versions of the same strategy to coexist under one portfolio umbrella. Compared to mutual funds where net asset value is settled after the market close, the ETF structure enables intraday trading, potential tax efficiency through in-kind creation and redemption mechanisms, and in many cases lower expense ratios, according to InvestmentNews analysis.

The three new Fidelity products come with competitive expense ratios. FIMU carries an estimated net expense ratio of 0.30%, FREI charges 0.57%, and FSTB, the short-term bond strategy, will charge 0.20% on a net basis, according to Fidelity’s official announcement.

Existing Fidelity mutual fund shareholders on the company’s platform will have the option to convert their holdings to the ETF share class on a recurring, non-taxable basis. Greg Friedman, head of ETFs at Fidelity, said the company is “at an inflection point in the ETF industry, with exemptive relief providing the opportunity to offer additional product choice for investors.”

Why the timing matters

Fidelity’s entry into ETF share classes marks a significant industry shift. For decades, Vanguard was the only firm permitted to run ETF share classes within mutual funds, protected by a patent that expired in May 2023. After that expiration, nearly 80 fund managers filed petitions with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for exemptive relief to add ETF share classes of their own, according to ISS Market Intelligence.

The SEC’s approval of Dimensional Fund Advisors’ application in September 2025 became the starting gun for other asset managers. Dimensional’s approval was significant because it was the first SEC clearance for an actively managed strategy to use the ETF share class structure. Following that decision, more than 60 sponsors re-filed share class relief applications, according to a Brown Brothers Harriman analysis cited by InvestmentNews.

Investor appetite for ETF share classes is strong. A 2024 ISS Market Intelligence survey found that 60% of advisors said they would prefer to access a favored manager in ETF form, versus just 15% who would opt for a mutual fund. A separate Brown Brothers Harriman global investor survey in March 2026 found that 86% of U.S. respondents said they would buy an ETF share class of a mutual fund if given the choice, according to InvestmentNews.

With these launches, Fidelity’s exchange-traded lineup expands to 84 ETFs and exchange-traded products with $172 billion in assets under management as of May 31, 2026. The company’s data shows that 53% of advisors’ portfolios included ETFs as of the fourth quarter of 2024, up from 44% the prior year, signaling the growing integration of ETF structures into professional investment strategies.

Sources

Fidelity Newsroom — Official announcement of the three ETF share class launches, fund names, tickers, expense ratios, portfolio managers, and experience levels; launch date of June 18, 2026; non-taxable conversion option for existing mutual fund shareholders.
InvestmentNews — Explanation of how ETF share classes work; Vanguard’s patent expiration in May 2023; nearly 80 fund managers filing for exemptive relief; Dimensional Fund Advisors’ September 2025 SEC approval as first for actively managed strategies; ISS Market Intelligence data on 60% of advisors preferring ETF form; Brown Brothers Harriman data on 86% of U.S. respondents willing to buy ETF share classes; Fidelity’s 53% advisor adoption of ETFs in Q4 2024 versus 44% prior year; more than 60 sponsors re-filing applications after SEC approval.

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Warriors win 2026 NBA Summer League championship

Yaxel Lendeborg and the Warriors defeated Cameron Boozer and the Grizzlies to win the 2026 NBA Summer League championship on Sunday.

Welcome to our recap of Day 11 of the 2026 NBA Summer League, as Yaxel Lendeborg (21 pts, 10 reb) led the Warriors to an exciting 94-90 win over Cameron Boozer (19 pts, 8 reb) and the Grizzlies to claim this year’s championship!

Earlier in the day, Dion Brown (16 pts, 10 reb, 11 ast) and John Ukomadu (23 pts, 9 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk) led seven double-figure scorers for the Nets in defeating the Thunder 108-90 to finish their Vegas run with a winning record.

Jahmi’us Ramsey (20 pts on 9-for-9 shooting) also capped Denver’s Summer League outing as they beat the Raptors 96-89.

JULY 19 / 10:49 p.m. ET

Warriors win 94-90

Yaxel Lendeborg (21 pts, 10 reb, 2 stl) put up nine points in the fourth quarter, out-dueling Cameron Boozer (19 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast) to help the Warriors claim the 2026 NBA Summer League championship.

Devion Smith (21 pts, 9 reb) came up huge off the bench for Golden State, which earned a 50-40 advantage in rebounds and a 52-40 edge in points in the paint.

“It’s the culture these guys have been about since day one,” said Warriors coach Khalid Robinson. “They had each other’s backs, they supported each other.”

Lendeborg was named the Most Valuable Player of the game, while Warriors legend Rick Barry presented the Summer League trophy to the team.

Rick Barry presents the 2026 NBA Summer League Championship trophy to the Golden State Warriors 👏

Congrats, @warriors! pic.twitter.com/KLt8ZmrkSL

— NBA (@NBA) July 20, 2026

“I’m just very proud of this moment. I’m glad we got to win this,” said Lendeborg. “For the Warriors, what a great way to start… Let’s go Dubs!”

Lendeborg is the second player to win the NCAA men’s basketball title and the Summer League championship in the same season, joining Tyus Jones (2015).

Watch highlights from the game.

JULY 19 / 10:45 p.m. ET

Cam Boozer’s shot bounces off

After almost stripping the ball from Yaxel Lendeborg in the backcourt, Cameron Boozer had a clean look at an above-the-break 3-pointer on the next possession.

But it bounced off the left rim, setting up a free throw battle with Golden State up 91-90.

JULY 19 / 10:38 p.m. ET

Coward with the clutch shot

Cedric Coward (19 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast) just drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to cut the Warriors lead to 91-90 with 1:19 to go in the 2026 NBA Summer League championship game.

We’ve got real drama flowing here in the Thomas & Mack Center.

JULY 19 / 10:34 p.m. ET

Lendeborg puts the Warriors on top

91-87 Golden State after Yaxel Lendeborg (21 pts, 8 reb) squared up and knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing, then pulled up for a midrange jumper.

Yaxel Lendeborg puts the Warriors ahead with a CLUTCH 3 🔥

The 11th overall pick is up to 21 PTS!

Golden State leads by 4 with under 2 minutes to play in the NBA Summer League Championship 🍿 pic.twitter.com/4K8PpwoY3e

— NBA (@NBA) July 20, 2026

He has the last seven points for Golden State and nine in the quarter.

“Yaxel Lendeborg, getting hot at the right time,” said ESPN’s Cory Alexander. “Both these rookies putting on a performance for the ages.”

JULY 19 / 10:24 p.m. ET

‘That clock goes down, the stakes go up’

82-77 with 5:33 to go on ESPN! The Warriors are battling to make this a contest, including Devion Smith (18 pts, 8 reb) and Will Riley (14 pts, 2 3PM).

Cap your night and enjoy some championship basketball!

JULY 19 / 10:15 p.m. ET

Grizzlies lead 78-66 after three

Cameron Boozer (16 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast) put up 10 points this quarter, including a 3-pointer with the clock winding down, to give the Grizzlies their largest lead of the game.

He’s interesting every time he touches the ball — his head is up, and he has a move for basically every situation. You never see him hurried, and his shooting touch has been consistent.

Cameron Boozer sinks the 3 at the end of Q3 🎯

The 3rd overall pick has a game-high 17 PTS!

Memphis leads by 10 heading into Q4 of the NBA Summer League Championship. pic.twitter.com/8uJhg3OQCY

— NBA (@NBA) July 20, 2026

Yaxel Lendeborg (12 pts, 3 reb, 1 stl) has four fouls, but has been one of the best players on the floor for the Warriors, along with Devion Smith (15 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast) who has been hustling to get the Warriors extra possessions.

We’ll see if the Warriors bigs, Graham Ike and Lachlan Olbrich, can make moves in the fourth quarter. Boozer and Carson Cooper have controlled the paint so far.

“Just locking and doing what we know what we have to do,” said Taylor Hendricks of Memphis’ approach to this fourth quarter.

The 2026 NBA Summer League championship is on the line on ESPN!

JULY 19 / 10:10 p.m. ET

Cooper to the rack

Carson Cooper (16 pts on 7-for-8 shooting, 2 stl) has been making an impact around the rim for the Grizzlies, taking advantage of smaller Warriors lineups.

He has eight points in this quarter, including a nice two-handed dunk in transition a moment ago.

Carson Cooper with the two-hand slam 💥

He’s got a game-high 16 PTS!

The Grizzlies lead in Q3 of the NBA Summer League Championship. pic.twitter.com/HKUqQcRsqt

— NBA (@NBA) July 20, 2026

JULY 19 / 9:47 p.m. ET

Tied at 47 at the half

It’s a fittingly tight contest between two of the best teams of the Vegas summer league.

LJ Cryer and Cedric Coward lead their respective teams with 11 points apiece.

The Grizzlies are still shooting 60.6% from the field, but the Warriors have taken 10 more shots than the Grizzlies;

JULY 19 / 9:42 p.m. ET

Yaxel to the rack

Yaxel Lendeborg (9 pts, 2 reb) just shook Cameron Boozer (7 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast) and drove baseline for the and-one layup, then converted a putback on back-to-back possessions.

Boozer responded with a 3-pointer of his own. The rookies are shining here.

43-42 Warriors with 1:36 to go in the half.

JULY 19 / 9:24 p.m. ET

Grizzlies up 24-23 after one

We’ve got a scrappy, competitive contest going in the Thomas & Mack Center, as the Warriors and Grizzlies chase the first championship of the 2026-27 NBA season.

Devion Smith (9 pts) and LJ Cryer (8 pts) have done most of the scoring for Golden State, while Javon Small (8 pts) leads the way for Memphis.

Yaxel Lendeborg (4 pts, 1 reb, 1 stl) and Cameron Boozer (2 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast) have hustled and chipped in around the edges so far. Lendeborg got free in the open court for a fast break finish; Boozer is a force on the boards.

Cameron Boozer grabs his own miss and scores 👏

Watch the 3rd overall pick in the NBA Summer League Championship on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/8GmfJ6j760

— NBA (@NBA) July 20, 2026

The Grizzlies took 27 shots to the Warriors’ 18 in the first quarter, buoyed by Boozer’s rebounding.

Memphis is shooting 37.2%, while Golden State’s at 61.1%, but the Grizzlies lead by one.

JULY 19 / 9:17 p.m. ET

Cam Boozer on the importance of the Summer League championship

“Very important. We came here to win,” Cameron Boozer said of the championship contest. “It’s a high-intensity game.”

JULY 19 / 9:14 p.m. ET

Grizzlies picking up full court

Memphis is dogging Golden State all the way up the floor, forcing them to start offense late in the shot clock.

It’s an interesting strategic move early in tonight’s contest that could allow the Grizzlies to flex their depth and physical intensity.

20-13 Grizzlies with 3:23 to go in the first quarter.

JULY 19 / 9:00 p.m. ET

It’s the championship game of the 2026 NBA Summer League!

These are two of the deepest, most talented teams this summer — it’s a fitting contest to conclude our time in Las Vegas.

JULY 19 / 8:31 p.m. ET

Get ready for the Summer League championship!

Yaxel Lendeborg’s led the Warriors all summer, beginning with a perfect shooting outing and demonstrating a strong all-around game. He’s joined by a series of NBA veterans, including Will Riley and Lachlan Olbrich, as well as talented veterans like LJ Cryer, who’s had some big scoring performances.

The Grizzlies’ summer squad is stacked. In addition to No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer, who can do everything on the floor and keeps working, they boast All-Rookie First Team member Cedric Coward and a ton of players with NBA experience, including Olivier Maxence-Prosper, Taylor Hendricks, Javon Small and Jahmai Mashack.

It should be a good one tonight on ESPN.

JULY 19 / 8:22 p.m. ET

Jahmi’us Ramsey (20 pts on 9-for-9 shooting, 8 reb, 2 stl) had a perfect outing to cap Denver’s Summer League run, as they outlasted the Raptors in a close contest.

The Nuggets won the third quarter 30-20 to take the advantage.

Nimari Bennett (15 pts, 9 reb) was the top scorer for the Raptors, who earned a 50-38 edge in points in the paint.

Some vintage Nuggets ball movement

That pass, that finish 👏 pic.twitter.com/J1jon8JO0A

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) July 19, 2026

JULY 19 / 7:34 p.m. ET

Two of the best teams of the summer

Get ready for Warriors-Grizzlies, coming up tonight on ESPN!

The stage is set. 🏆

It’s all come down to this.

The @memgrizz and @warriors battle for the 2026 NBA Summer League Championship tonight in Las Vegas.

Don’t miss it.

⏰ 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT pic.twitter.com/ThNOGkPsBr

— NBA Summer League (@NBASummerLeague) July 19, 2026

JULY 19 / 7:23 p.m. ET

From the North, a close one in the West

The Toronto Raptors lead the Denver Nuggets 47-45 at the half in their final Las Vegas action.

Mark Sears (12 pts, 4 ast), the Denver point guard, leads all scorers.

Sears was a consensus All-American and First Team All-SEC in his senior season at Alabama in 2025, putting up 18.9 ppg, then played seven games for the Bucks last season.

JULY 19 / 6:30 p.m. ET

Reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley leads the Raptors against the Nuggets in our second game of the day.

JULY 19 / 6:23 p.m. ET

Dion Brown (16 pts, 10 reb, 11 ast) was all over the floor, leading seven double-figure scorers to give Brooklyn a winning record in Vegas.

John Ukomadu (23 pts, 9 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk) and Aaron Scott (15 pts on 6-for-8 shooting, 5 stl) also had big games for the Nets, who shot 51.9% from the field.

Steven Ashworth (22 pts, 4 3PM, 4 ast, 2 stl) was the top performer for Oklahoma City, which finished winless in the summer.

Watch highlights from the game.

Way up top

John Ukomadu (18 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk) just showed off his hops, catching a crazy reverse alley-oop from Hunter Sallis (10 pts, 3 ast), bringing the Nets into the third quarter break with a highlight.

CRAZY REVERSE DUNK for John Ukomadu! 😵‍💫 pic.twitter.com/qJOl0JXjDz

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) July 20, 2026

It’s 82-64 Brooklyn in the last contest of the summer from these two teams.

JULY 19 / 5:40 p.m. ET

Dainja!

Dain Dainja (12 pts, 6 reb) is exerting his will in the paint, including driving to the rim for a one-handed slam a moment ago.

Dain Dainja drives and slams it home 💥

He’s got 12 PTS as the Nets lead the Thunder in NBA Summer League action on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/JxjC8utjJk

— NBA (@NBA) July 19, 2026

The 6-foot-9 big out of Memphis played 50 games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce this season in the G League, putting up 13.1 ppg, 5.9 reb and 1.0 blk.

JULY 19 / 5:24 p.m. ET

Jamming inside the Thomas & Mack Center

Nets are up 60-45 at the half, led by John Ukomadu (16 pts, 4 reb, 3 3PM), who is bringing the energy on this final day of the 2026 NBA Summer League.

Ukomadu, an alum of Eastern Kentucky, averaged 10.5 ppg for the Motor City Cruise over 50 games this G League season, shooting 46.8/39.4/67.4 from the field.

Duke Brennan 🤝 John Ukomadu

Brennan dishes it to Ukomadu for the two-hand jam!

BKN/OKC NBA Summer League action is LIVE on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/lzmfZHoLdM

— NBA (@NBA) July 19, 2026

From the baseline, the Thunder admin caught Nate Johnson finding Sam Alexis (6 pts, 5 reb) for the slam.

Through the contact 💪 pic.twitter.com/aGcoucTK79

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 19, 2026

Steven Ashworth (12 pts, 2 3PM) leads the Thunder in scoring.

JULY 19 / 4:30 p.m. ET

Thunder–Nets about to tip on ESPN

Former Pistons sharpshooter Buddy Boeheim and the Oklahoma City Thunder face the Brooklyn Nets in the Thomas & Mack Center to open our final day of the 2026 NBA Summer League.

JULY 19 / 4:20 p.m. ET

A look back before the championship game

Enjoy and get hyped before the Grizzlies and Warriors decide the first champion of this NBA season with a look back at yesterday’s frenetic action.

Saturday in Las Vegas had it all. 🎬🏀

From the Summer League Film Festival to the consolation games and thrilling semifinals…relive the day that set up tonight’s Championship Game between the @memgrizz & @warriors. pic.twitter.com/m4aAsEMyvR

— NBA Summer League (@NBASummerLeague) July 19, 2026

JULY 19 / 4:15 p.m. ET

Sunday’s Summer League schedule

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Brooklyn Nets (4:30 ET, ESPN)
Denver Nuggets vs. Toronto Raptors (6:30 ET, ESPN2)
Championship game: Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies (9 ET, ESPN)
- Featuring No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer, 2025 No. 11 pick Cedric Coward and No. 11 pick Yaxel Lendeborg

JULY 19 / 4:00 p.m. ET

Recap of Day 10 of the 2026 NBA Summer League

We opened Saturday with two close games, as the Magic defeated the Celtics 103-99 and the Bucks beat the 76ers 96-94 on a game-winning layup by No. 10 pick Brayden Burries (27 pts).

The Grizzlies advanced to the Summer League championship game by defeating the Rockets 101-90, as Cedric Coward (28 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) and Cameron Boozer (12 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast) showed out.

The Wizards ended their summer with a 91-83 win over the Hawks, cued by Reece Beekman (13 pts, 6 reb, 14 ast).

Yaxel Lendeborg (15 pts, 2 blk, team-high +11) led the Warriors over the Lakers 92-88 to reach the championship game, winning a back-and-forth affair that came down to the final minute.

Jalen Slawson (22 pts, 4 blk) finished off a strong summer by leading the Pacers to a 91-73 win over the Pelicans, aided by Yuki Kawamura (12 ast).

Miles Kelly (20 pts) scored the last 12 points for the Spurs to lift them over the Suns 86-81 to cap the night.

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