The 2026 NBA Summer League is fast approaching, and there'll once again be a contingent of Australians and Kiwis worth keeping a close eye on.
While the cohort isn't as voluminous - there's a total of 12 this season, as opposed to the 17 who suited up last year - that doesn't mean it's not meaningful, with this Summer League likely to be the make-or-break proving ground for multiple players.
There are five members of the 2026 NBA Draft class who all went undrafted and will be hoping to use the event to get their foot in the door in the league, while the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks are the two teams that look to have a unique Australian flavour.
The Summer League consists of three events, beginning with the California Classic (July 4-7), the Salt Lake Summer League (July 5, 7-8), and ending with the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas (July 10-20). All dates listed are AEST.
Here are the Australians and Kiwis set to compete at Summer League, and what the state of play is regarding those who have the best shot at finding a spot on NBA rosters.
2026 draft class
Anthony Dell'Orso - Sacramento Kings
Dell'Orso is hoping his capacity as a sharpshooter will catch the eye of an NBA team throughout the Summer League, where he'll be suiting up for the Kings.
The 6'6 wing out of Melbourne is coming off a senior year with Arizona where he averaged 8.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game, but what stands out the most is that he was a career 36.1% three-point shooter (3.7 3PA) over four seasons in college; two at Campbell and a pair with the Wildcats.
Oscar Cluff - Houston Rockets
Cluff went undrafted but quickly joined the Rockets' Summer League team, with an eye toward getting his foot in the NBA door.
The big-man out of Queensland started all 39 games as a senior at Purdue, averaging 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per contest while shooting 68.3% from the field; a figure that ranked second in program history.
Max MacKinnon - Charlotte Hornets
Mackinnon - a 6'6 guard out of Brisbane - will suit up for the Hornets over Summer League.
He's coming off a productive senior year at LSU, but it was the adidas EuroCamp in Treviso that really moved the needle. MacKinnon averaged 18.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game at the event -- shooting 44.4% from three -- and won Finals MVP representing the NBL's Next Stars team.
In his final season at LSU, Mackinnon averaged 15.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, while shooting 37.6% from 3PT.
Harry Wessels - San Antonio Spurs
Wessells just completed his fourth and final season at Saint Mary's, and will play for the Spurs during this Summer League.
The 7'1 centre out of Perth averaged 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a senior for the Gaels.
Will Johnston - New York Knicks
Johnston went undrafted and will suit up for the Knicks during Summer League, with the 6'3 combo guard out of Sydney averaging 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game as a senior for Richmond, capping off a six-year college basketball career.
He won't be the only Australian with the Knicks, with Sydney Kings head coach - and Olympic bronze medallist - Brian Goorjian set to be on the team's coaching staff once again.
The sophomores
Rocco Zikarsky - Minnesota Timberwolves
If all goes to plan, Zikarsky will be one of the most impactful players across all of Summer League.
The 7'3 big-man out of Queensland was selected by the Timberwolves with the 45th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and spent the bulk of this past season with their G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves. Zikarsky averaged 15.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game for the Wolves, and will play in this Summer League with an eye toward continuing to establish himself as an NBA-ready centre.
Lachlan Olbrich - Golden State Warriors
Olbrich will play for the Warriors this Summer League, arriving off a rookie season with the Chicago Bulls.
The forward/centre out of Adelaide was a two-way player with the Bulls last season, averaging 2.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game, while shooting 46.8% from the field, highlighted by a triple-double late in the season against Dallas.
A change in front office in Chicago meant Olbrich was forced to find a new home, and there's hope he can use the Summer League platform as an audition of sorts for other teams around the NBA - and the Warriors, of course - to see why he's still a legitimate two-way candidate, and beyond.
Alex Toohey - Golden State Warriors
Toohey returns to the Warriors' Summer League roster hoping to build on a rookie year cut short.
The 6'8 forward out of Canberra was selected 52nd overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by Phoenix before his rights were traded to Golden State, but a season-ending knee injury saw him waived by the Warriors in December after just two appearances for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League.
He arrives off the back of an NBL Next Generation Award-winning season with the Sydney Kings in 2024-25, where he averaged 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.
The expectation is that, while on the roster, Toohey won't be cleared to play by Summer League as he continues to rehab his injury.
The pros
Luke Travers - Milwaukee Bucks
Travers will suit up for the Bucks during this Summer League, hoping to catch on with a Milwaukee roster that's headed in a new direction after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The 6'8 forward out of Perth was the 56th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and spent the past two seasons on a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who waived him in February. He's coming off a strong stretch with the Cleveland Charge, averaging 14.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks on 45.3% shooting across his NBA G League career.
Travers is one of a few players on the Bucks roster with an Australian connection, with the team featuring two former NBL players - Jesse Edwards and Malique Lewis - as well as South Sudan's Kuany Kuany, who's Australian-based and won a title with the Illawarra Hawks in 2025 as a training player.
Flynn Cameron - Portland Trail Blazers
Cameron will play for the Blazers off the back of a breakout season with the Adelaide 36ers.
The 6'5 guard/wing out of New Zealand was named the NBL's Most Improved Player for 2025-26 at 25 years old, averaging 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.
Will Hickey - Los Angeles Lakers
Hickey will suit up for the Lakers, returning to Summer League a year on from last season's stint with the Chicago Bulls.
The 6'4 guard, who currently plays for the Illawarra Hawks, missed the start of this past NBL season with an eye injury sustained at NBL Blitz, but still delivered the league's first triple-double of the season - 19 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, and three blocks against Cairns in November - en route to averaging 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists across 27 games.
He signed with the Lakers' G League affiliate, South Bay, in March.
Kuany Kuany - Milwaukee Bucks
Kuany will play for the Bucks, teaming up in Milwaukee's Summer League ranks with fellow former NBL players Jesse Edwards and Malique Lewis, as well as Travers.
The South Sudanese-Australian, a 6'9 forward out of Melbourne, played college basketball at Cal and VCU before joining the Illawarra Hawks, where he was part of the club's NBL championship-winning squad in 2025.
Kuany played his professional basketball for Anorthosis Ammohostou in Cyprus this past season, averaging 15.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, before joining F.U.S de Rabat in the Basketball Africa League.
