Cameron Boozer (23 points) and Caleb Wilson (35 points) put on a show in Las Vegas.
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LAS VEGAS – On Day 1 of 2026 Las Vegas Summer League, fans were treated to a matchup between the top two picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. Friday night it was another highly anticipated matchup as the No. 3 pick to the Memphis Grizzlies, Cameron Boozer, squared off with the No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson, who went to the Chicago Bulls.
The game came down to the wire and it was the Grizzlies edging out the Bulls 97-96. Wilson tried to do everything in the last 45 seconds to extend the game but fell short, even after hitting back-to-back 3-pointers with nine seconds left. Despite the loss, Wilson finished with 35 points and it was Boozer who came away with the win.
“My goal is to come in and win every game and we fell short tonight,” Wilson said. “The scoring record is cool but somebody else is going to break it one day and it doesn’t change the fact that we didn’t get the win.”
There was great pace from start to finish.
On the very first possession of the game, it was Boozer who came off a cross screen on the block and went right into the chest of Wilson. The tone was set for the game and Wilson hit the first bucket for the Bulls, a 3-pointer at the top of the key. Boozer answered in an emphatic way when he stole the ball in the backcourt from Wilson and took it in for a jam.
COOKIES!
Cameron Boozer with the steal and slam 💪
The No. 3 pick has 4 points in 4 minutes on Prime. pic.twitter.com/RqZEXpoa0q
— NBA (@NBA) July 11, 2026
There were plenty of big-time plays from both players and it was a reminder as to why this Draft class had so much buzz coming into Summer League. With 7:10 left in the third quarter, Wilson hit a contested stepback 3-pointer in the face of Cedric Coward that ignited the entire crowd and brought everyone on the Bulls bench to their feet.
Boozer was just as flashy and did a bit of everything and played through a ton of contact at the rim. He finished with 23 points and was an efficient 7-for-12 from the field and added six rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal.
“We’re just trying to find our team chemistry and I just want to come in and help any team win a championship and that starts right now with the first few games,” Boozer said. “We’re evolving as a team and I think we took a huge step from Salt Lake CIty and overall it was a great team win.”
Boozer and Wilson are very familiar with each other’s game.
They were AAU teammates and won a Nike Peach Jam title two years ago playing for Nightrydas Elite. Boozer was named the MVP and Wilson was just starting to emerge as one of the top players in the class. He made huge strides his senior year in high school and shot up the rankings before committing to North Carolina. Boozer and his twin brother Cayden elected to play at Duke, their father Carlos’s alma mater.
“We played together and won a championship together so there’s a lot of respect there for each other,” Boozer said of Wilson. “Every time we’re on the court we compete and we’re cool off the court and hopefully we’ll both be able to thrive in this league and have great careers.”
Boozer and Wilson only faced off once last season in a thrilling finish at North Carolina. The rivalry game exceeded expectations and came down to a last-second shot from UNC guard Seth Trimble and the Tar Heels took the 71-68 win. Wilson had 23 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and played all 40 minutes. Boozer was just as good, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Wilson fractured his hand a couple weeks later and was unable to play the rest of the season while Boozer led Duke deep into the NCAA tournament and eventually lost to UConn in the Elite 8.
From workouts in the gym to the game's biggest stage, get an inside look at Caleb Wilson's busy Road to the Draft, presented by New Balance.
It has been five months to the day since Wilson broke his thumb and his season ended at North Carolina. He was emotional before today’s game thinking about everything he missed with his injury and wanted to make a strong statement with his first game back on the court.
“Today just felt like I had been waiting so long to get back on the court and for this opportunity and I’m just glad I got to come out here and play,” Wilson said.
There’s mutual respect between the two players. Both had their moments and everyone in the arena from current NBA players watching courtside to all the fans, could see the future potential for both players.
“He’s (Boozer) a great player obviously and one of the few guys I respect in our draft class,” Wilson said. “He played a great game and he won so he did a great job. We have fun with each other on the court and we talk back and forth. He made some tough shots, like that fadeaway he had over me, and we were able to really play and get after it.”
The Grizzlies’ next game is Monday against the Mavericks (7 ET, ESPN) and the Bulls will play the Jazz right after (9 ET, ESPN).
