Bulls' Caleb Wilson Scores 35 In 'Emotional' Summer League Debut

Caleb Wilson scored 35 points in his summer league debut Friday night, the second-highest total in a Las Vegas debut since the event started in 2004. The Chicago Bulls, who selected Wilson with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft, loss 97-96 to the Memphis Grizzlies. It marked Wilson's first competitive game since Feb. 10, when his lone college season at North Carolina ended due to a broken wrist. He said he cried before tipoff given the emotional weight of returning to the court. It's been five months to the day since the last time I played, said Wilson. I've just been really emotional because I haven't been able to play. I felt terrible because my team lost in the [NCAA] tournament and my coach got fired. It just was a lot for me at that point. So, coming out today, it just felt like I've been waiting so long for this opportunity. I'm just glad I got to come out here and play. Wilson displayed a broad offensive game, knocking down seven 3-pointers, matching his total made threes across his entire 24-game college career. I've been working on it hard for a long time, said Wilson. I'm not shocked at all. I've been putting the work in. He also finished with three blocks, two steals and six rebounds, though six turnovers reflected an at-times erratic performance. Bulls coach Tiago Splitter said he welcomed the aggressive approach in Wilson's first outing. We're getting to know him, said Splitter. The first game, of course, he played extremely well shooting the ball and doing different things, but this is a long road. Repetition of everything. But I'm proud of the effort they put in. Boxing out, crashing every offense rebound. Wilson's 35 points trailed only Marco Belinelli's 37-point summer league debut in 2007. The performance came against fellow rookie standout Cam Boozer of the Grizzlies, who finished with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists. He's a great player, said Wilson of Boozer. One of the few guys I respect out of my class. He played a great game and he won. Boozer returned the compliment after the game. He's a great player. Great players make a lot of shots, said Boozer. It was something maybe he didn't showcase a lot in college, but he's a great player and he started getting hot.