The Los Angeles Lakers announced their schedule for the fifth annual California Classic Summer League this year. The Lakers will face the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
By matching up against the Spurs, it means the Lakers will likely face off against likely No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama. The 7-foot-4 center is one of the more hyped-up prospects in NBA history and will surely be headed to San Antonio after the draft. The Lakers will first play against the Heat on Monday, July 3 at 3 p.m. PT before playing the Spurs at 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday, July 5 to end the event.
The games will take place between July 3 and 5 and include the Lakers, Heat, Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. This is the first year that the Spurs and Hornets will join the event — previous iterations only included the Lakers, Heat, Kings and Warriors. Last year, L.A. finished 2-1 in the California Classic, losing its final game to the Kings.
Tickets are not available yet but general public tickets will begin to go on sale for a two-day pass on June 5. Tickets will likely be in high demand with Wembanyama making his debut on July 3 after the Lakers-Heat game.
The Lakers have the No. 17 and 47 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. It’s unclear whether they will keep their first-round pick or pair it with a player in a trade, but those picks could fill more spots on the summer league roster, which is not available yet for the Lakers.
However, during his exit interview, Max Christie confirmed that he will be playing in the summer league. Shaquille Harrison, who the Lakers brought up during the season, could be another name that joins the summer league roster. He has a non-guaranteed contract for the 2023-24 season. Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider could join the team too, similar to last year.
Christie had the most game time with the Lakers during the season. More game time during the summer league will only be beneficial for his growth going into his sophomore year.
Tyger Campbell, Marcus Carr among five seniors in latest draft workout group
With two picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, the Lakers have an opportunity to bolster their roster with young talent. Even if they don’t draft anyone, L.A.’s track record with undrafted players is impressive. Austin Reaves and Alex Caruso are just two undrafted names the Lakers have been able to turn into key contributors.
A part of that process means working out a variety of players. The Lakers had five seniors work out on Tuesday, including a familiar face in UCLA guard Tyger Campbell.
