The majority of Dallas Mavericks fans knew the name that would come out of NBA commissioner Adam Silver's mouth when he prepared to announce it to the Barclays Center crowd and the world who Dallas would select with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. But how could you fault any of the tiny number of fans who weren't convinced that the 'kid from Duke' would be a Maverick until the commissioner said "Cooper Flagg" after what general manager Nico Harrison put the fanbase through when he inexplicably traded franchise star Luka Doncic.
All Mavs fans breathed a sigh of relief after Silver revealed that Harrison and company selected Flagg with the top pick in the draft on Wednesday night.
Dallas was all but guaranteed to select the 6-foot-9 forward out of Newport, Maine, when they won the NBA Lottery back in May, despite having a 1.8% chance of getting the top pick. Flagg instantly became the favorite to be the first player taken off the board since skipping his final year of high school and enrolling at Duke early.
His comparisons are all over the map, with some pointing toward Scottie Pippen, Kawhi Leonard, among others as a fair comp.
Flagg, who was college basketball's consensus player of the year as a freshman at Duke, averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists with the Blue Devils last season. The 18-year-old shot 48.1% from the field and 38.5% from deep.
He'll join a veteran-laden squad that includes Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson, which should be among the top contenders to come out of the Western Conference next season.