Latest news with #NaismithAward
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Resurfaced Cooper Flagg Quotes Suggest He Wants to Be Drafted By San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs can boast two picks in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, provided they don't trade either selection. As things currently stand, the Spurs will likely select eighth and 14th overall, with the Atlanta Hawks owing them a first-round selection as a part of the Dejounte Murray trade. The Spurs, between their two picks, have only a 6.7 percent chance of landing Cooper Flagg and pairing him with Victor Wembanyama. Advertisement Flagg, in his lone college season, led the Duke Blue Devils to the Final Four, won AP Player of the Year, the Wooden Award, was an All-American, took home the Naismith Award, and was the ACC Player of the Year. He is a highly touted two-way force and will be the top pick, regardless of who lands him. Flagg, who is from Maine, grew up as a Boston Celtics fan, although Boston will not have a chance to draft him. Before his college season, he did a "rapid fire" interview and revealed some respect for the Spurs. Flagg not only considers Kawhi Leonard the greatest defender of all time, but he also thinks that Gregg Popovich is the greatest coach of all time. That's remarkably telling, especially since his Northeast roots could have easily pushed him in the direction of Tom Heinsohn or Red Auerbach for the best coach and Bill Russell or Kevin Garnett for the best defender. Advertisement Of course, longtime Duke skipper Mike Krzyzewski could have been considered as well, but Flagg may have revealed his hand. A duo of Flagg and Wembayama in the frontcourt with De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle in the backcourt would be a nightmare on both sides of the ball for opponents. The NBA Draft order will be revealed on Monday at 7:00 PM live on ESPN. Check out the Inside the Spurs home page for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Related: 3 Potential Chris Paul Replacements For the San Antonio Spurs Related: NBA Draft Lottery Odds for All 13 Teams Revealed: Where Will San Antonio Spurs Likely Pick?
Fox Sports
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
The Mavericks winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes gives Nico Harrison a second chance
Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison just got thrown a life raft fashioned from ping-pong balls. The Mavericks, who had a 1.8 percent chance of winning Monday's NBA Draft lottery, won the top pick in the 2025 draft and the sweepstakes for consensus top-pick Cooper Flagg with a combination of four ping-pong balls. It's a shocking floating device for Harrison, who had been treading water since he traded the then-25-year-old generational superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis in February. That move not only stunned the NBA world, but it alienated a fanbase to the point where "Fire Nico" chants became commonplace at Mavericks home games, and no one blinked an eye when a reporter asked him after the season ended: "Why shouldn't you be fired?" Now, in just over six weeks, the Mavericks will likely select Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward out of Duke, who averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Blue Devils, leading them to a 35-4 record and a Final Four appearance. The Mavericks – with the 11th best odds going into Monday's lottery - jumped 10 spots to get the No. 1 pick, which was the biggest jump by any team in lottery history, according to ESPN Research. Related: How a coin flip with the Bulls landed the Mavericks the No. 1 pick "There is no f---king way," Miami Heat's Kevin Love wrote on X. Lakers superstar LeBron James also weighed in on X, posting nine emojis of a face laughing so hard it's crying. For the second time this season, the Mavericks left everyone's mouths agape. After the Mavericks dealt Doncic, a top three player in the league who easily has another 10 years ahead of him, there was widespread shock from players, fans – and even Doncic and Davis themselves. When the news broke days before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, many people thought it was fake. Similarly, the Mavericks winning the draft lottery seemed so improbable that immediately after it was announced, the internet was ablaze with rumors that the lottery was rigged. "I was in charge of the draft lottery 40 years ago when Patrick Ewing won," Mavericks CEO Rick Welts told reporters. "I've been doing conspiracy theory stories ever since. This is very surreal, personally." Related: Where the Mavs' longshot lottery odds ranked all-time Now, Harrison might have a chance to redeem himself, even though this was nothing but pure luck. Harrison had long defended the Doncic trade as a win-now move, adding that defense wins championships and Davis was one of the best defenders in the league. Now, they'll also have Flagg, an elite two-way player who's expected to immediately impact winning. The 18-year-old Flagg was a unanimous first-team All-American selection and the consensus National Player of the Year. He also won the Wooden Award, Naismith Award and AP National Player of the Year. The Mavericks will likely boast a starting lineup of Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Flagg, Davis and Daniel Gafford, a formidable combination of offensive and defensive firepower. There's no questioning that their chances of being legitimate title-contenders just skyrocketed, even with Irving missing the first months of next season as he recovers from a torn ACL in his left knee that he suffered in March. "For us, it's been a rough year, as you all know," Mavericks representative Rolando Blackman said Monday on the ESPN broadcast. "The important part of the whole thing is we'll get a chance to move our franchise forward." As for Harrison, he'll get a chance to rewrite his narrative. After making what was considered one of the worst mistakes in NBA history, the basketball gods threw him a franchise-altering lob. It marked the first time in 17 draft lotteries that the Mavericks got a higher pick than projected. Of 1,001 ping-pong ball combinations, the Mavericks entered the lottery with only 18, giving them the fourth-longest odds by a lottery winner in NBA history. It was a stunning stroke of luck for a team that seemingly irreparably shocked its fanbase into full-blown disillusionment just three months earlier. Now, the Mavericks, who were eliminated in the play-in tournament, have newfound hope and a chance to begin repairing things with their fans. As for Harrison? He'll get a rare opportunity: A second chance to make the Mavericks a winning franchise. Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @ melissarohlin . recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
New York Post
12-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Mavericks win the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery — and the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes
The Cooper Flagg sweepstakes have officially concluded. The Mavericks won the NBA Draft Lottery Monday night and, barring any otherworldly shocking decisions, will select Flagg out of Duke with the first pick. The Mavs came in with a 1.8 percent chance at the first pick, the 11th-best odds, after posting a 39-43 record this past season after their much-maligned trade of superstar Luka Doncic. 3 Cooper Flagg spent just a season at Duke but was perhaps college basketball's top player. Getty Images Flagg will slot into a reloading roster alongside that features veteran stars Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis — the key return in the Doncic deal. Flagg has practically been the consensus No. 1 pick for the 2025 draft class since he initially reclassified in high school and jumped from the 2025 high school class to 2024. 3 Dylan Harper (left) and Ace Bailey (right) out of Rutgers could round out the top three of the draft. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Flagg immediately jumped eventual Rutgers stars Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey in the recruiting rankings and, in turn, has been expected to go first in the draft ever since. The Duke star racked up plenty of accolades in his 37 games as a Blue Devil in the team's run to the Final Four where they fell to Houston. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks. He shot 48.1 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three and 84 percent from the charity stripe. 3 Cooper Flagg helped lead Duke to the Final Four before falling to Houston. Getty Images Flagg was the Wooden Award winner, the Naismith Award winner, the AP Player of the Year, a consensus First-Team All American and the ACC Player of the Year. Flagg will bring a unique skillset to the NBA with true two-way value, defending at an extremely high level as a 6-foot-9 wing while also having plenty of offensive tools in his bag. The 18-year-old hails from Maine but played two seasons at the coveted Montverde Academy following his freshman year at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport, Maine. Flagg won't turn 19 until midway through his rookie season. As for the rest of the draft, Harper is expected to go No. 2 to Spurs while the No. 3 pick being made by the 76ers is up in the air, though Bailey is among the top prospects to go third.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mavericks win NBA Draft Lottery, right to select Duke phenom Cooper Flagg
Cooper Flagg will almost certainly be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft on June 25. () Not all NBA Draft lotteries are created equal. Monday's was top-shelf. And the Dallas Mavericks are the big winners. The Mavericks the No. 1 pick in the lottery and the right to draft Duke phenom Cooper Flagg, the presumed top selection in June's NBA Draft. The San Antonio Spurs will pick No. 2, the Philadelphia 76ers will select third and the Charlotte Hornets will pick fourth. Advertisement The Jazz, Wizards and Hornets finished with the three worst records in the NBA and each entered Monday's draft lottery tied with the best odds of securing the No. 1 pick at 14%. The Wizards and Jazz each fell out of the top four picks when their ping-pong balls weren't selected. The Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs each moved up from their positions for top-four picks alongside the Hornets. Here are the full results from Monday's Draft lottery. No. 1: Dallas Mavericks No. 2: San Antonio Spurs No. 3: Philadelphia 76ers No. 4: Charlotte Hornets No. 5: Utah Jazz No. 6: Washington Wizards No. 7: New Orleans Pelicans No. 8: Brooklyn Nets No. 9: Toronto Raptors No. 10: Houston Rockets (from Suns, via Nets) No. 11: Portland Trail Blazers No. 12: Chicago Bulls No. 13: Atlanta Hawks (from Kings) No. 14: San Antonio Spurs (from Hawks) Advertisement Flagg has been lauded as a future No. 1 pick since early in his prep days. He arrived at Duke last season as one of the most coveted prospects in college basketball history and managed to exceed the hype in a single season. A versatile, 6-9 forward, Flagg led Duke as a freshman in points (19.2 ppg), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), blocks (1.4) and steals (1.4) while shooting 48.1% from the floor and 38.5% from 3-point distance. He paced the Blue Devils to a 35-4 record as Duke led the nation with a 20.4-point average scoring margin. Duke dominated the ACC with a 19-1 regular-season record and tournament championship before entering the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed. Flagg was a unanimous first-team All-America selection and finished the season as the consensus National Player of the Year while earning the Wooden Award, Naismith Award and AP National Player of the Year honors, among others. Duke's season fell short of the ultimate goal in a disappointing Final Four loss to Houston. But the loss did little to dim Flagg's NBA prospects. He looks every bit like a generational talent with the upside of raising the Mavericks into contention. Advertisement Flagg isn't the only coveted player available near the top of the draft. A pair of outgoing Rutgers freshmen are also highly prized and could very well go 2 and 3 after Flagg. Dylan Harper is a 6-6 guard who can play at either backcourt position and possesses the playmaking ability and upside to develop into a high-level scoring point guard. Ace Bailey is a tremendous 6-10 athlete with the length and versatility to play multiple positions. He's raw, but can score from anywhere on the floor and offers upside as an elite scorer and disruptive defender. There are plenty of other enticing prospects throughout the lottery. Flagg is the clear top prospect in this year's draft, but there are some strong consolation prizes in what projects as an outstanding draft class near the top.
USA Today
21-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nets 2025 NBA Draft talk: Duke's Cooper Flagg officially declares
Nets 2025 NBA Draft talk: Duke's Cooper Flagg officially declares The Brooklyn Nets are heading into the offseason with the goal of improving the team as much as possible through free-agency and through the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. One of the players that Brooklyn is hoping to be able to draft, Duke's Cooper Flagg, officially declared for the Draft, meaning that the Nets could potentially select him if the Lottery goes their way. Not only did Duke University acknowledge Flagg's decision by thanking him for what he did for them during his freshman season, but Flagg himself posted a video to his Instagram of some of his best highlights of the season. There was a time where there was some doubt as to whether Flagg would be entering the Draft given that he said that he loved his time at Duke and wanted it to continue. Flagg, 18, will be entering the Draft after having one of the best freshman seasons in Men's College Basketball history with what he did on the court along with the awards that he won along the way. Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 48.1% from the field and 38.5% from three-point land while also piling up 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per contest. When it comes to Flagg and what he did during his freshman year, he walked away from the college level with accolades like the Player of the Year, Wooden Award, and Naismith Award, showing just how highly-regarded he was by the voters. To that point, it seems that Flagg is locked into the first overall pick, meaning that the Nets need to get lucky in the Draft if they want to bring him to Brooklyn. The Nets finished the 2024-25 season with a 26-56 record, placing them with the sixth-best odds in the Lottery. That means that they have a 9.0% chance of getting the first overall pick and a 37.2% chance of getting a pick within the top-4. However, by that same token, Brooklyn has a 29.7% chance of getting the seventh pick and a 20.6% chance of getting the eighth pick.
