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The 2021 NBA Summer League got underway on Sunday, August 8th, with multiple sophomores and rookies showcasing their talent ahead of the 2021-22 regular season.
The youngsters will be itching to get their names registered in the history books of the NBA Summer League. Multiple players in the past have managed to produce all-time great performances in the offseason tournament.
Let's take a look at the five best individual performances in Summer League history.
Listing the 5 best individual performances in NBA Summer League history
#5 Josh Hart (LA Lakers vs Cleveland Cavaliers, 2018)
Former LA Lakers guard Josh Hart dominated the 2018 NBA Summer League campaign. The guard averaged 24.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest that year to win the 2018 Summer League MVP award. In a Summer League game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hart recorded 37 points and nine rebounds to lead the LA Lakers to a 112-109 double-overtime win.
Hart also made the 2018 All-NBA Summer League first team.
#4 Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz vs Memphis Grizzlies, 2017)
Donovan Mitchell has been a star in the making ever since he made his pro-debut. During the 2017 NBA Summer League campaign, Mitchell dropped a tournament-high 37 points to go with eight steals in a game between the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies. His points tally is tied for fifth-best, while his steals total is the best for any player in NBA Summer League history.
The Utah Jazz lost the tie 81-84 in overtime, but Mitchell's performance is still one to remember for ages.
#3 Kyle Kuzma (LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers, 2017)
Kyle Kuzma was one of the top prospects to play in the league in his first two seasons with the LA Lakers. His summer league heroics in 2017 were quite memorable. The Lakers were playing their Summer League Championship game against the Portland Trail Blazers and were without stars like Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball due to injuries when Kyle Kuzma decided to take matters into his own hands.
He scored 30 points on the night to go along with 10 rebounds, shooting 11-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. His performance helped the Lakers become the 2017 Summer League champions and also saw him win the Championship game MVP award.
#2 Von Wafer (Denver Nuggets vs New York Knicks, 2007)
Von Wafer was on fire in the 2007 NBA Summer League. He played for the Denver Nuggets at the time and scored a record-tying 42 points in a game against the New York Knicks. It was quite surprising that he was able to have such a huge scoring game. He came off the bench and had only six points by the end of the first quarter.
He continued to get better as the game progressed and ended up scoring 23 points by the end of the third quarter. He produced one of the greatest single-quarter performances of all-time in the NBA Summer League history when he scored 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the fourth quarter alone. The Nuggets, unfortunately, lost that tie 108-116
Wafer tied his teammate Marcus Banks' record of scoring the most points in an NBA Summer League game. It was later broken in 2009 by Anthony Marrow.
#1 Anthony Morrow (Golden State Warriors vs New Orleans Hornets, 2009)
Anthony Morrow produced a record-breaking 47-point performance during the 2009 NBA Summer League tournament. He shot 18-of-26 from the field in that game. He played for the Golden State Warriors, who were facing the New Orleans Hornets. Morrow broke Marcus Banks' and Von Wafer's record of scoring the most points in an NBA Summer League game by a player. His record has stood for 11 years now.
