Two Former Bruins to Play in NBA Summer League

The pipeline to the pros runs through Westwood.

For the most part, the UCLA Bruins have a veteran squad, but they had to say goodbye to two key cogs in their mission.

Kobe Johnson and Lazar Stefanovic, after graduating from UCLA, were not selected in the 2025 NBA Draft and will be entering the NBA Summer League with hopes of earning an NBA contract.

Johnson already signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Atlanta Hawks, which essentially is a Summer League and training camp deal. This also means Johnson won’t see NBA minutes under this type of deal, and if he were to see the floor, it would need to be under a two-way contract.

It’s hard to envision that a coach wouldn’t fall in love with Johnson’s game. He plays a hard-nosed style with elite defensive instincts and a decent touch for scoring.

His head is always up on the defensive end, and he uses his peripheral vision to stay between his man (if he’s playing man-to-man) and where the ball is. With that, he tracks the ball at a high rate and picks his spots to create turnovers, which often leads to fastbreak opportunities.

His offensive numbers weren’t gaudy enough to have been drafted, but he thinks and sees the game at a level that not many do. While he will likely spend a lot of time in the G League or overseas in his first year or so as a pro, there’s definitely an opportunity for an NBA contract down the road.

As for Stefanovic, he’s the ultimate team player and that may have even hurt his draft stock.

A fan favorite at Pauley Pavilion, Stefanovic’s first season at UCLA was his career best after spending his first two years at Utah.

He averaged 11.7 points per game, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals, but the problem was, it happened during a season in which UCLA went 16-17.

That led to Coach Mick Cronin retooling the roster to get the ship back on course. It led to him bringing in Johnson from USC, prompting Stefanovic to accept a lesser role.

“How many guys would do that?” Cronin said of Stefanovic’s selflessness as UCLA opened practice in September 2024. “Most guys would have called compliance and got in the [transfer] portal. But he wants to win and play in the NCAA [tournament], it’s why he came here.”

From there, Stefanovic played 18 fewer minutes per game, averaged seven fewer points per game, and his three-point shot was less effective than in years past.

Regardless, Stefanovic still received a Summer League invite from the Orlando Magic.

While no one has gone on record to say that his dip in production caused the Serbian not to be drafted, one would think teams may have been scared off by it.

In a world where nothing is guaranteed, players like Johnson and Stefanovic aren’t taking their opportunities lightly.

Whether it’s the NBA, Europe, or the G League, these two players, and their selflessness can offer a lot to teams, whether they need a culture shift or not.

These two set the tone, and they expect everyone to follow their lead.

Who cares if they weren’t drafted?