When the Los Angeles Lakers played against the Dallas Mavericks during NBA 2K26 Summer League in Las Vegas, fans all wanted to see the same thing.
It was a matchup between Lakers guard Bronny James and Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg. This may have seemed uneven on paper. After all, it was a late second-round pick against the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Plus, the two former McDonald All-American high schoolers play entirely different positions.
But despite the massive height difference (Flagg measured more than six inches taller than James at the NBA Draft Combine during their respective pre-draft processes) between the two, they still found a way to guard each other in Las Vegas.
James began the game by nailing a jumper in Flagg’s face, scoring all five of the first points for Los Angeles.
But he also played solid defense against the former Duke star, which caught everyone’s attention.
Bronny vs. Coop is cinema 🍿 pic.twitter.com/ObwL0VVIDV
— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2025
Here is what James said about the possession (via ESPN):
“He’s got like a half a foot on me, so I’m just trying to stand my ground,” James said. “I got to stand my ground down there and make sure I’m not getting bullied anywhere on the court. … He’s great. I mean, I watched him all in college and he’s an amazing player. I have the utmost respect for him. He’s going to be something special.”
This is a great reaction from James, who created a bit of a meme with his strong defense:
Cooper Flagg trying to back down Bronny pic.twitter.com/VBLCMNC007
— Tb (@tblack) July 11, 2025
Cooper Flagg when Bronny checks back in 😭 pic.twitter.com/FbkQZGmccU
— ✞ 🕊️ (@NBAChristianity) July 11, 2025
I never thought I would say this, but Bronny James is making Cooper Flagg work. pic.twitter.com/r0eGk5lbJs
— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) July 11, 2025
Good for James for proving he belongs in this environment.
If he keeps having performances like this, he could potentially earn minutes in the rotation for the Lakers.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bronny James explained his meme-worthy Cooper Flagg defense