The Summer League is the first opportunity for that year’s draft picks to showcase their talents at the NBA level. It also is an opportunity for undrafted players to sell themselves to all 30 NBA teams, and for second-year players to further develop their game. Usually, there are some players taking part who were either out of the league last season, or barely played and are hoping to remain in the NBA. Here are six examples of those kinds of players taking part in the 2025 NBA Summer League.
Summer League play begins this year on Saturday with four games on the docket.
(Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name.)
6 Summer League Players Hoping To Remain/Get Back Into NBA
Darius Bazley – Los Angeles Lakers
Now 25 years old, Darius Bazley has played parts of five seasons in the NBA. He last played in 2023-24, when he combined to appear in nine games for the 76ers and Jazz. Albeit on subpar Thunder teams, the 6-foot-8 forward combined to average 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Yuki Kawamura – Chicago Bulls
Standing at 5-foot-8, Yuki Kawamura was the shortest player in the NBA last season. The 25-year-old was on a two-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2024-25 and appeared in 22 games for Memphis. The Japanese point guard has been a fan favorite despite little playing time at the NBA level.
Kira Lewis Jr. – Miami Heat
A lottery pick in 2020 (13th overall), Kira Lewis Jr. spent last season in the G League. In 2023-24, he saw action in 28 games for three different teams (Pelicans, Raptors, and Jazz). The 24-year-old has a career-high of 21 points on April 2, 2021 while with New Orleans.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. – Boston Celtics
Last season, Kenneth Lofton Jr. was a member of the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He is another popular player by fans due to his athleticism at a larger size (listed at 6-foot-7, 275 lbs.). While he’s averaged just 4.8 points in 45 career NBA games, Lofton Jr. dropped 42 points to go along with 14 rebounds on April 9, 2023 with the Grizzlies.
Wendell Moore Jr. – Orlando Magic
Coming out of Duke, Wendell Moore Jr. was selected 26th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. He has only played in 30 games for three teams in the three years since at the NBA level. After shooting 41.3% from beyond the arc in his last year at Duke, Moore has only made 25% of his three-point tries in the NBA.
Joshua Primo – Chicago Bulls
Another lottery pick who hasn’t quite hacked it in the NBA, Joshua Primo was selected 12th overall in 2021. He was released by the Spurs early into his second year, due to an alleged off-the-court issue with a team therapist. The 6-foot-6 guard appeared in two games for the Clippers in 2023-24, and was out of the league last season.
Photo credit: © Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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