Cooper Flagg

 

Cooper Flagg (born December 21, 2006) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), nicknamed “The Maine Event.” Standing 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) and weighing 205 pounds (93 kg), Flagg plays forward and is known for his elite two-way abilities, defensive versatility, and basketball IQ. He was selected first overall by the Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Draft after one season at Duke University, where he won every major national player of the year award as a freshman. He was named to the 2026 Rising Stars. 

 

Early Life 

 

Flagg was born in Newport, Maine. His twin brother Ace is one minute older and plays college basketball at the University of Maine. Their parents, Kelly and Ralph, both played college basketball, Kelly at Maine and Ralph at Eastern Maine Community College.

 

High School Career

 

Flagg attended Nokomis Regional High School in Newport, becoming the first freshman named Maine Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 20.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals, and 3.7 blocks while leading the team to a state championship in 2021.

 

He transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida, where he won the 2022 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year and 2024 National High School Player of the Year honors. Flagg reclassified from the 2025 class to 2024, graduating high school a year early. He verbally committed to Duke on October 30, 2023, delaying his announcement from October 27 following the Lewiston, Maine, shootings. He finished as the consensus top recruit in the 2024 class.

 

College Career

 

Flagg enrolled at Duke in June 2024 and made his debut on November 4, 2024, scoring 18 points with seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals against Maine. On January 11, 2025, he set Duke and ACC freshman scoring records with 42 points against Notre Dame, shooting 11-of-14 from the field, 4-of-6 from three, and 16-of-17 from the free-throw line, adding six rebounds and seven assists.

 

Flagg became the first ACC player in 25 years with 500+ points, 100+ assists, and 30+ blocks in a regular season. In the NCAA Tournament, Duke earned a one-seed and advanced to the Final Four. On March 27, Flagg scored 30 points with six rebounds and seven assists against Arizona in the Sweet 16. On April 5, he had 27 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in a 70-67 loss to Houston in the Final Four.

 

He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 48.1% from the field and 38.5% from three-point range. Flagg won the Wooden Award, Naismith Award, ACC Player of the Year, and ACC Rookie of the Year, joining Zion Williamson, Marvin Bagley III, and Jahlil Okafor as the only players to win both ACC honors in the same season.

 

NBA Career

 

The Dallas Mavericks won the 2025 NBA Draft lottery with just 1.8% odds, jumping from 11th to first, tied for the biggest lottery jump in NBA history. Dallas selected Flagg first overall on June 25, 2025, making him the fifth Duke player selected first overall in the lottery era and the first since Paolo Banchero in 2022.

 

Flagg signed a two-year, $28.34 million contract. He has exceeded expectations in his rookie season. On February 6, he scored 49 points with 10 rebounds against Charlotte, breaking Mark Aguirre’s rookie scoring record for the Dallas Mavericks. He also set a new NBA record for the most points scored by a teenager in a single game. And he followed it up on February 8, with 36 points and nine rebounds against Boston. With four consecutive 30-point games, he averaged 37.8 points per game while shooting 56.2% from the field.

 

International Career

 

Flagg represented Team USA at the 2021 FIBA Under-17 World Cup, winning gold and earning tournament MVP honors while averaging 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 blocks.

 

References

 

External Links

* Cooper Flagg on NBA.com

* Cooper Flagg on Basketball-Reference.com