Now that summer league is concluding and the NBA officially begins its dark period, the stars from Las Vegas must be acknowledged because some unexpected players made big splashes.

Former Colorado basketball star point guard KJ Simpson wrapped up his second NBA Summer League with a title over a fellow former Buff.

LAS VEGAS — Rookie Kon Knueppel’s team-high 21 points and a lightning-fast start helped fuel the Charlotte Hornets to a hard-fought 83-78 win over the Sacramento Kings in the NBA 2K26 Summer League championship game at Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Sunday night.

Las Vegas Summer League has become sort of the opposite: Player movement comes to a halt aside from a few restricted free-agency situations playing out, the best young players only take the court for a couple of games (if that), and the entire league unwinds from a long year.

Second-year Rockets guard Reed Sheppard wasn’t very efficient at summer league, but he still managed to turn heads, per Michael Pina of The Ringer.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells accepted the uncomfortable journey of improving during summer league action, including working on his attack.

This is the Goodman League, in the heart of Southeast Washington’s Barry Farm neighborhood. This is where the old Barry Farm Community Summer Basketball League operated from its founding in 1977 to 1995.