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The Dallas Mavericks used their first pick in 2025 NBA Draft Select the former Duke Superstar Cooper Flag.
The flag is According to Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde, the first white American to be drafted in his first overall pick since Kent Benson in 1977.
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June 25th, 2025. Brooklyn, New York, USA; Cooper Flag arrives before the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
Flaggg was the top pick of the consensus to join this year’s draft process after winning one of the most electric freshmen years in college basketball history this past season. Flag was a top-ranked recruit in the country when he committed to Duke in October 2023, leading the Blue Devils to Final Four.
He became the first Duke player since 2019’s Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, securing both the ACC Player and the Rookie of the Year Awards.
His freshman season also included breaking the score record for the Duke and ACC single game freshman with 42 points in a January victory over Notre Dame.
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File – Duke Forward Cooper Flag celebrates on Saturday, April 5, 2025 after facing Houston in the national semi-finals that took place in the final four San Antonio of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Meanwhile, the Mavericks have become the right to choose flags after controversial and suspicious Draft lottery It took place on May 12th. Dallas scored their first overall pick in the draft despite only 1.8% chances of getting a top pick after finishing the season with a 39-43 record.
The team had the 11th best odds to win the lottery, but was mysteriously caught up in the number one pick. The lottery came months after making a suspicious deal to send superstar Luca Donsic to LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a first-round pick in 2029, when Anthony Davis, Max Christie and many experts had considered a wealth of value for Donsic.
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April 5, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Duke Blue Devils Forward Cooper Flag (2) responds after a three-point basket in the first half of the men’s final 4 semi-finals of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome after a three-point basketball against the Houston Cougars. (Image of Bob Donnan-Immagn)
James hyped the future of Flag with the latest edition of the Mind the Game podcast, hosted by James and Hall of Fame Steve Nash.
“I think he wants to be great. He spent a year in Duke and he can do so many different things on the floor. He can play with the ball and play without the ball. His jump shots keep getting better,” James said.
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