Cooper Flagg fulfills his NBA destiny as Mavericks' No. 1 pick

New York Post

6 hours ago

There was little drama or intrigue surrounding the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, with Cooper Flagg going wire-to-wire in practically every prediction for the past year until he finally was selected Wednesday night by the Mavericks.
In having his name called first by NBA commissioner Adam Silver at Barclays Center, the freshman forward became the sixth player from Duke to be tabbed at No. 1, which is twice as many as any other NCAA program in league history.
Four of those six have come in the past 15 years, all of whom are presently in the NBA, with Flagg joining Kyrie Irving (2011) in Dallas. Former top picks Zion Williamson (2019, Pelicans) and Paolo Banchero (2022, Magic) also played for the Blue Devils.
'It's unreal. That's the word I'll use to describe how I'm feeling,' Flagg, the consensus NCAA national player of the year, said earlier this week in anticipation of his big moment. 'I don't know if it's all set in yet and whatnot, but I'm just trying to enjoy it … and really just soak it all in.
'I think a quote my mom likes to say a lot, if you're the best player in the gym then you need to find a new gym. … I felt it was time for me to kind of get to a new environment and push myself to higher levels.'
Kentucky is the only other college basketball program with even three No. 1 overall picks, and they all came within a six-year span — John Wall, Anthony Davis and current Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns — between 2010-15.
The 18-year-old Flagg will get his NBA career started alongside Davis and Irving — and presumably head coach Jason Kidd, whom the Knicks have expressed interest in hiring as Tom Thibodeau's replacement — in Dallas, which missed the playoffs after dealing franchise superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers on Feb. 1.
'I wouldn't look at anything like that as pressure to [replace Doncic] if it goes that way,' Flagg added about his selection by Dallas. 'Whatever situation I go into, I'm just going to try and be myself all the time, and I'm going to push myself to be better and better every single day. … I'm not worried about living up to expectations.'
Cooper Flagg speaks to reporters during an NBA Draft event at the LOTTE New York Palace hotel on June 24, 2025.
JASON SZENES/NY POST
Still, the Maine native admitted that he and his Duke teammates were stunned to learn of the Doncic deal — with Davis headed back to the Mavs — following a Blue Devils victory over rival North Carolina.
'We just all started going crazy,' Flagg said. 'It was such a shock. Like, it was craziness.'
Perhaps not as crazy as the Mavericks being awarded the No. 1 selection despite holding just a 1.8 percent chance to win the lottery for the right to grab the 6-foot-9 Flagg, who became only the fourth freshman in history to win the Wooden Award as NCAA player of the year after posting 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for a Duke squad that reached the Final Four.
Flagg's selection also restores a long-standing trend after international players were taken with the previous two No. 1 picks — Europeans Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) and Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks).
Cooper Flagg reacts during Duke's Sweet 16 win over Arizona on March 27, 2025.
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Before that, a freshman collegiate player had gone first in every draft for 13 consecutive years from 2010 (Wall) through 2022 (Banchero).
The rebuilding Nets began the night with five first-round picks following their inclusion in Tuesday's three-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis from Boston to Atlanta. Brooklyn GM Sean Marks was armed with picks No. 8, 19, 22, 26 and 27.
The Knicks were not slated to pick until No. 50 in the second round after acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Nets last summer for a deal that included five first-round choices, including two of Brooklyn's five (19 and 26) on Wednesday night.In having his name called first by NBA commissioner Adam Silver at Barclays Center, the freshman forward became the sixth player from Duke to be tabbed at No. 1, which now is twice as many as any other NCAA program in league history.
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Four of those six have come in the past 15 years, and all of those are presently in the NBA with Flagg joining Kyrie Irving (2011) in Dallas. Former top picks Zion Williamson (2019 by the Pelicans) and Paolo Banchero (2022 by the Magic) also played collegiately for the Blue Devils.
'It's unreal. That's the word I'll use to describe how I'm feeling,' Flagg, the consensus NCAA national player of the year, said earlier this week in anticipation of his big moment. 'I don't know if it's all set in yet and whatnot, but I'm just trying to enjoy it…and really just soak it all in.
'I think a quote my mom likes to say a lot, if you're the best player in the gym then you need to find a new gym…I felt it was time for me to kind of get to a new environment and push myself to higher levels.'
Kentucky is the only other college basketball program with even three No.1 overall picks, and they all came within a six-year span — John Wall, Anthony Davis and current Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns — between 2010-15.
The 18-year-old Flagg will get his NBA career started alongside Davis and Irving — and presumably head coach Jason Kidd, who the Knicks have expressed interest in hiring as Tom Thibodeau's replacement — with the Mavs, who missed the playoffs after dealing franchise superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers on Feb.1.
'I wouldn't look at anything like that as pressure to [replace Doncic] if it goes that way,' Flagg added about his selection by Dallas. 'Whatever situation I go into, I'm just going to try and be myself all the time, and I'm going to push myself to be better and better every single day . . . I'm not worried about living up to expectations.'
Still, the Maine native admitted that he and his Duke teammates were stunned to learn of the Doncic deal — with Davis headed back to the Mavs — following a Blue Devils victory over rival North Carolina.
'We just all started going crazy,' Flagg said. 'It was such a shock. Like, it was craziness.'
Perhaps not as crazy as the Mavericks being awarded the first overall selection despite holding just a 1.8 percent chance to win the lottery for the right to grab the 6-9 Flagg, who became only the fourth freshman in NCAA history to win the Wooden Award as NCAA player of the year after posting 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for a Duke squad that reached the Final Four.
Flagg's selection also restores a longstanding trend after International players were taken with the previous two No.1 overall picks — French teens Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) and Europeans Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) and Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks).
Before that, a freshman collegiate player had gone first in every draft for 13 consecutive years from 2010 (Wall) through 2022 (Banchero).
Another local freshman — Rutgers guard Dylan Harper — was widely projected to go No.2 to San Antonio, but there was building intrigue about Scarlet Knights teammate Ace Bailey, who declined to work out for the 76ers at pick No. 3. The Hornets and Jazz rounded out the top five, with the Post's final mock draft predicting that Bailey would slide to the Wizards at No. 6.
The rebuilding Nets also began the night with five first-round picks following their inclusion in Tuesday's three-team trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis from Boston to Atlanta. Brooklyn GM Sean Marks was armed with picks 8, 19, 22, 26 and 27.
The Knicks were not slated to pick until No. 50 in the second round after acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Nets last summer for a deal that included five first-round choices, including two of Brooklyn's five (19 and 26) on Wednesday night.