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The Dallas Mavericks utilized the archetypal prime successful the 2025 NBA Draft to prime erstwhile Duke superstar Cooper Flagg.
Flagg is present the archetypal White American to beryllium drafted with the archetypal wide prime since Kent Benson successful 1977, according to Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated.
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Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Cooper Flagg arrives earlier the archetypal circular of the 2025 NBA Draft astatine Barclays Center. (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
Flagg was the statement apical prime going into this year's draught process aft having 1 of the astir electrical freshman years successful assemblage hoops past this past season. Flagg was the top-ranked enlistee successful the federation erstwhile helium committed to Duke successful October 2023, and led the Blue Devils each the mode to the Final Four.
He earned statement First Team All-America honors, becoming the archetypal Duke subordinate to bash truthful since Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett successful 2019. Flagg besides secured some ACC Player and Rookie of the Year awards, a feat achieved by lone 1 different Duke subordinate antecedently (Williamson).
His freshman play besides included breaking the Duke and ACC single-game freshman scoring grounds with 42 points successful a January triumph against Notre Dame.
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FILE - Duke guardant Cooper Flagg celebrates aft scoring against the Houston during the 2nd fractional successful the nationalist semifinals astatine the Final Four of the NCAA assemblage hoops tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, successful San Antonio. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Meanwhile, the Mavericks ended up with the rights to prime Flagg aft a arguable and questionable draft lottery that took spot connected May 12. Dallas ended up winning the archetypal wide prime successful the draught contempt having conscionable a 1.8% accidental to get the apical prime aft finishing the play with a 39-43 record.
The squad had the 11th-best likelihood to triumph the lottery, but mysteriously coiled up with the No. 1 pick. The lottery came months aft the Mavericks made a questionable commercialized to nonstop superstar Luka Doncic to LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers successful speech for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick, which galore experts considered well-below worth for Doncic.
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Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils guardant Cooper Flagg (2) reacts aft a 3 constituent handbasket against the Houston Cougars during the archetypal fractional successful the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament astatine the Alamodome. (Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)
James hyped up Flagg's aboriginal successful the latest variation of the "Mind the Game" podcast, which is hosted by James and Hall of Famer Steve Nash.
"I personally deliberation that helium wants to beryllium great. He had a hellhole of a twelvemonth astatine Duke. A feline that tin bash truthful galore antithetic things retired connected the floor. Can play with the ball, tin play without the ball. His leap changeable is going to proceed to get better," James said.
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Jackson Thompson is simply a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He antecedently worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
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