The 2025 NBA Summer League is underway and, as always, there's a sizable Australian and Kiwi contingent set to compete.
The NBA's annual offseason tournament begins with the California Classic and Salt Lake City Summer League, before the main event tips off in Las Vegas, and, for fans in the Oceania region, it's the range of players on show that will be the most fascinating to track.
There are, of course, the four Australians who are members of the 2025 NBA Draft class, all of whom should get ample opportunity over Summer League. Then, there are those who've had a cup of coffee in the NBA before and are eyeing a return, or the ones looking for their first taste.
Some teams will have multiple Australians, so they'll be appointment viewing. The Golden State Warriors lead the way with a trio -- Alex Toohey, Taran Armstrong, and Alex Higgins-Titsha -- while the Chicago Bulls will feature Illawarra Hawks championship duo Lachlan Olbrich and Will 'Davo' Hickey.
The California and Utah portions of Summer League take place from July 6-9 (AEST), before the entire NBA world descends onto Las Vegas from July 11-21.
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.
2025 draft class
Tyrese Proctor - Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers really believe in Proctor, who was taken with the 49th overall pick, then immediately added to their main roster. He signed a four-year deal with the team; the first two years of which are guaranteed.
The 6'6 combo guard out of Sydney is coming off his third season at Duke University, having averaged 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game as a junior.
Alex Toohey - Golden State Warriors
Toohey is one of three Australians on this Warriors team going into Summer League. The 6'8 wing out of Canberra was taken with the 52nd overall selection in this draft, but, because the Warriors obtained that pick via a trade, he'll sit out the first portion of Summer League until that transaction is made official.
The 21-year-old is coming off his second season with the Sydney Kings in the NBL, having averaged 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. Toohey is effectively a lock to earn a two-way deal with the Warriors ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season, but there's a possibility that a roster spot becomes available for him, depending on how the remainder of the team's free agency plays out.
Rocco Zikarsky - Minnesota Timberwolves
Zikarsky was taken by the Timberwolves with the 45th overall pick in this draft, and has already put pen to paper on a two-year, two-way deal with the team.
The big-man is coming off a second season with the Brisbane Bullets in the NBL, averaging 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in minimal minutes. What made Zikarsky appealing to multiple NBA teams -- and ultimately the Timberwolves -- was his size and potential, with the 18-year-old measuring in at 7'4, making him the tallest player in this draft class.
The Timberwolves took another centre, Joan Beringer, with their 17th overall pick, and he'd naturally, theoretically, be ahead of Zikarsky in rotation projections. So, the Summer League will be Zikarsky's first opportunity to show his value in a centre spot that's relatively stacked on this team.
Lachlan Olbrich - Chicago Bulls
Olbrich used an extremely impressive offseason rise to ultimately be selected by the Bulls with the 55th overall pick, and has since signed a two-way deal with the team.
The 6'10 big-man out of Adelaide is coming off his second season with the Illawarra Hawks, averaging 8.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while helping his team to the 2025 NBL Championship.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones - Toronto Raptors
Out of Wellington, New Zealand, Tait-Jones went undrafted out of UC San Diego, where he averaged 19.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game as a senior.
Tait-Jones has had NBL offers for quite some time, sources told ESPN, but is opting to go in a different direction to begin his professional career.
Reyne Smith - Denver Nuggets
Smith -- a 6'2 shooting guard out of Tasmania -- went undrafted after an impressive season at Louisville, but went on to sign a Summer League deal with the Nuggets.
As a senior at Louisville, Smith averaged a career-high 13.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 37.9% from beyond the three-point line (on 9.1 attempts a game).
Running it back
Johnny Furphy - Indiana Pacers
Furphy was the 35th overall pick in the 2024 draft, and is coming off a rookie season where his Indiana Pacers pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in the NBA Finals.
Still, we haven't seen much of the 6'8 wing since he was drafted. He averaged just 7.6 minutes a game for the Pacers -- much of which was in garbage time -- because of how deep Rick Carlisle's team was. In 10 G-League games this past season, Furphy averaged 14.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, and the Pacers will be hoping the 20-year-old looks like one of those 'too good for Summer League' type of players early on.
Alex Ducas - Oklahoma City Thunder
Ducas went undrafted in the 2024 draft, before signing a two-way deal with the Thunder, who he's suiting up for during the 2025 Summer League.
The 24-year-old is competing for a two-way spot -- the Thunder more than likely have one vacant -- after averaging 5.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game for the Oklahoma City Blue in the G-League last season.
Taran Armstrong - Golden State Warriors
Armstrong used an impressive second season with the Cairns Taipans to earn a two-way deal with the Warriors at the end of last season, and looks primed to stay in the Bay Area for the 2025-26 campaign.
In 11 games for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G-League last season, the 6'5 point guard averaged 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game.
An NBA return?
Jack McVeigh - Atlanta Hawks
McVeigh is coming off a two-way deal with the Houston Rockets, where he primarily played in the G-League, averaging 15.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
The 6'8 forward just turned 29 and is a proven high-level shot-maker, so the early word is that he has a real shot at finding his way on the Hawks' roster in some capacity to start the new NBA season.
Technically, however, he'll be competing with...
Jack White - Atlanta Hawks
It does seem like White and McVeigh may be competing for the same spot, which is a fun wrinkle in a Hawks team that should be must-watch viewing for Australians.
White is coming off a season where he helped lead Melbourne United to the 2025 NBL Championship Series, before heading to Bayern Munich and winning the Basketball Bundesliga title in Germany.
The 6'7 forward out of Traralgon, Victoria is no stranger to the NBA, having been a two-way player with the Denver Nuggets during their 2023 championship campaign, as well as signing with the Memphis Grizzlies for the end of their 2023-24 season.
White is coming off a season in the NBL with United where he averaged 13.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
Will Magnay - Memphis Grizzlies
While it's unlikely we see Magnay actually hit the floor for the Grizzlies -- he's dealing with a wrist injury -- there's still reason to believe his presence with the team at Summer League may lead to something more.
The Grizzlies flew him to Memphis knowing full well the extent of his wrist injury, and the early word is they like him enough to strongly consider him for a spot on their roster ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.
The 6'10 big-man is currently signed with the Tasmania JackJumpers; this past NBL season, he averaged 13.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.
Who's hoping to continue the NBL-to-NBA pathway?
Will Hickey - Chicago Bulls
Hickey is coming off a breakout season in the NBL, averaging 8.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game, for the Illawarra Hawks. He played a key role in leading them to the 2025 Championship.
This opportunity with the Bulls will be the first Summer League experience for the 6'5 guard out of Sydney.
Sam Mennenga - Los Angeles Lakers
This is Mennenga's first career Summer League appearance, where he'll play for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 6'9 big out of Auckland is currently signed with the New Zealand Breakers, and is coming off a season with Atleticos de San German in Puerto Rico, where he averaged 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
Tyrell Harrison - Denver Nuggets
Harrison is one worth keeping an eye on. The 7'1 Kiwi-Australian big-man -- who's currently signed with the Brisbane Bullets in the NBL -- is coming off an impressive season in Puerto Rico, averaging 18.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game for Indios de Mayaguez.
Going into Summer League, the Nuggets have one vacant two-way spot, and there are enough whispers that Harrison is someone who has a real shot at putting his name in the conversation for it.
Alex Higgins-Titsha - Golden State Warriors
Higgins-Titsha used an impressive minicamp with the Warriors to earn his way onto their Summer League roster.
The 6'7 forward out of Sydney averaged 6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game for the Cairns Taipans in the NBL last season.
Biwali Bayles - New York Knicks
Bayles is one of the surprises of the list of Australians and Kiwis heading to Summer League, with the 6'1 point guard getting the opportunity while not currently signed in the NBL.
Bayles played for BBC Nyon in the Swiss Basketball League over the 2024-25 season, averaging 18.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.4 steals per game.