NBA
CF
#32

Cooper Flagg

Forward · Dallas Mavericks · 6-9, 205 lb · Born December 21, 2006 · Newport, Maine · Drafted 2025 Round 1, Pick 1 (Dallas Mavericks)
No. 1 Pick 2025Rookie of the YearACC POY
NBADallas MavericksForwards
Compare:vs Williamsvs Gaffordvs IIvs Thompsonvs Christievs Marshall
In short

Cooper Flagg is the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, a 6-foot-9 two-way forward from Newport, Maine who won 2024 national high-school honors at Montverde, was ACC Player of the Year in his lone Duke season, and captured NBA Rookie of the Year in 2025-26 as the Dallas Mavericks' franchise cornerstone.

Matchup model · next gameLow confidenceFri, Nov 13
vsDetroit PistonsAggressive hedge & help
Proj. points
20.9
range 17.7–24.1
Line 21
49%
to go over
Team win
60%
113–111
Poi 20.9 Lean underReb 6.7 Lean overAss 4.5 Lean overPRA 32.2 Lean over
Likely on himAusar Thompson· 90 Perimeter DElite stopper
20+ pts60%25+ pts12%

Model lines Flagg at 20.9 pts (range 17.7–24.1) vs a 21 line — roughly a coin flip to clear it (49%).

Biggest edge: venue — home floor — small boost.

Full matchup breakdown · all markets →
Balladex Matchup Model — modeled from real roster ratings, scoring baselines & defender-matchup history. Schedule, availability & head-to-head samples are illustrative in this prototype; production wires live schedule, injury & player-tracking feeds. Not betting advice.
✦ Ask anything about Flagg
The Flagg Story — narrated
Tap play to hear his story, told as a 90-second short.
🔊 Prototype uses your browser's built-in voice. Production would use a studio-grade AI narrator.

Cooper Flagg is what happens when generational talent grows up in a gym in Newport, Maine and never stops guarding.

He won a state title at Nokomis as a freshman, then went 34-0 and won a national championship at Montverde, sweeping every major 2024 prep award along the way.

A reclassification sent him to Duke a year early, where a 19.2-point, ACC-Player-of-the-Year freshman season and a Final Four run made him the obvious No. 1.

Dallas made him the first pick of the 2025 draft, and he delivered Rookie of the Year — 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists a night — as the face of the franchise's next era.

— end of story —
Want the full numbers? Open the breakdown →
PPG
21
2025-26
RPG
6.7
per game
APG
4.5
per game
FG%
.468
.295 from three
LIFE

Roots & the rise

The most decorated American prospect in a generation, Cooper Flagg carried a small-town Maine legend from Nokomis Regional to Montverde to Duke and, at 18, into the No. 1 overall pick and Rookie of the Year — all before he could legally rent a car.

Flagg was born December 21, 2006 in Newport, Maine, into a basketball family: his mother Kelly played at the University of Maine, his father Ralph played JUCO ball, and his twin brother Ace and older brother Hunter grew up in the gym with him. He led Nokomis Regional High School to a Class A state title as a freshman before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida.

At Montverde, his senior class went a perfect 34-0 and won the national title, and Flagg swept the 2024 national high-school awards — Gatorade National Athlete of the Year, Naismith Prep Player of the Year, Mr. Basketball USA, and McDonald's All-American. He reclassified up, arriving at Duke a year early.

As a Duke freshman in 2024-25 he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists, was named ACC Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American, and pushed the Blue Devils to the Final Four. Dallas took him first overall in 2025, and he answered with a Rookie of the Year campaign.

Sources: Wikipedia, Basketball-Reference, NBA.com.

BEYOND THE GAME

Off the Court

Flagg grew up a Boston Celtics fan in New England, shaped by a household where basketball was the family language — his mother's college career and his father's coaching influence are woven through his origin story.

Before he ever played a college game he signed with New Balance, a deal tied in part to the brand's Maine roots, and he was the first men's college basketball player sponsored by Gatorade. He remains close with his twin brother Ace, also a Division I player.

PERSONALITY

The person

Competitive, low-ego and defense-obsessed, Flagg carries a maturity and two-way seriousness rare for his age.

Two-Way MotorChases blocks and steals from the wing as hard as he hunts buckets.
Old-Soul PoiseHandled No. 1-pick and franchise-savior pressure at 18 without visible strain.
Family-RootedSmall-town Maine values and a twin brother keep him grounded.
PLAYER DNA

Archetype & ratings

Archetype
Franchise Rookie · Two-Way Wing
Temperament
Alpha
Leadership
74/100
Scoring83
Playmaking55
Rebounding66
Perimeter D76
Rim protection48
Spacing53
Athleticism78
Clutch81
Two-way rookie starFranchise cornerstoneNo. 1 pick
ANALYSIS

What the numbers say

Defensive Ceiling

Flagg's calling card is two-way impact: he racks up steals and blocks from the wing, rebounds like a big, and reads the floor as a help defender well beyond his years.

Shot in Progress

His three-point rate dipped to .295 as a rookie after shooting .385 at Duke — the outside shot is still stabilizing against NBA spacing and closeouts, and it's the swing skill for his ceiling.

Primary Everything

Dallas handed him initiator and anchor duties at once, even letting him run point early; his .827 free-throw stroke and passing suggest the offensive polish will catch up to the defense.

STATS

Season by season

Per game

SeasonGPMINPTSREBASTFG%3P%
2025-267033.521.06.74.5.468.295

Source: Basketball-Reference.

ADVANCED

Advanced & historical

Where he sits in history

DraftNo. 1 overall, 2025
CollegeDuke (one-and-done)
Rookie PPG21.0

Hardware

ROY
2026 Rookie of the Year
All-Rookie
2026 First Team
ACC POY
2025
OUTLOOK

Where it's headed

AI-generated · updated 2026

A Rookie-of-the-Year foundation with All-NBA upside if the jumper lands.

Flagg is already a plus two-way starter and offensive hub at 19. The development curve now runs through his three-point consistency; if that stabilizes, he projects as a perennial All-Star and the centerpiece Dallas rebuilt around.

Two-Way ImpactElite
Perimeter ShotDeveloping
CeilingFranchise

Contract

Status
Rookie scale Signed July 2, 2025
Bottom line

The cornerstone — a Rookie of the Year whose two-way floor is already high and whose ceiling depends on the jumper.

FAQ

Quick answers

Where is Cooper Flagg from?

Newport, Maine. He led Nokomis Regional to a state title before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida.

What pick was Cooper Flagg?

No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, by the Dallas Mavericks.

Did Cooper Flagg win Rookie of the Year?

Yes — he won 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year and made the All-Rookie First Team, averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

What did he do at Duke?

In his lone 2024-25 season he was ACC Player of the Year, a consensus first-team All-American, and led Duke to the Final Four.