Mavericks Land Top Pick Cooper Flagg in NBA Draft

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

As expected, America’s top college player Cooper Flagg was selected by the Dallas Mavericks as the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft ceremony.

After the franchise won the NBA Draft Lottery despite a slim chance of pulling the golden stab, the Mavericks have been vocal about acquiring the unique skill set that the Duke Blue Devils product possesses.

On April 22, 2025, Flagg made noise after declaring himself for the NBA Draft, and that instance took the NBA off-season busier than ever in trying to claim his sweepstakes.

Flagg will now join an already talented and deep Dallas roster when the NBA season officially kicks off this October. He will team up with Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford, and the rest of the Mavericks squad.

However, the highly-anticipated Flagg-Irving connection will have to wait as the veteran superstar guard is still recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.

The 18-year-old prospect already turned heads when he was invited as a part of the practice pool that went up against the USA Basketball national team who won the gold medal during the Paris Olympics.

Athletic, versatile, and a two-way monster, NBA stars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant described Flagg as one of the brightest college players in the country.

In his one-and-done season at Duke, Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals. He leads the Blue Devils in all those categories.

Although he missed a trip to the NCAA finals, Flagg will go down as one of the most talented freshmen to ever wear the blue and white threads.

“I’m feeling amazing. It’s a dream come true, to be honest. I wouldn’t want to share it with anybody else,” Flagg said after getting drafted.