Basketball’s worst-kept secret in months became official when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stepped to the mic and announced Cooper Flagg as the no. 1 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft.
But while many had long expected that the Dallas Mavericks will make the move to take Flagg, the moment still felt surreal as it unfolded Thursday (PH time), June 27, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Cooper Flagg is selected 1st overall by the @dallasmavs in the 2025 #NBADraft presented by State Farm!
— NBA (@NBA) June 26, 2025
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The 18-year-old averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds during his lone season at Duke, earning consensus national player of the year honors while leading the Blue Devils to a 35-4 record and a Final Four berth.
Flagg is the first college freshman to be taken with the top pick since Paolo Banchero in 2022, and returns the draft to a familiar path after international players went no. 1 in the previous two years.
And yet this moment is anything but conventional for Dallas.
Just over a year ago, Luka Doncic led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals as the face of the franchise, a perennial MVP candidate and by all means, the future.
Then, the front office made a league-altering move and sent Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for champion big man Anthony Davis in return.
[ALSO READ: Luka to Lakers, AD to Mavericks. Who won?]
Kyrie Irving, now recovering from a torn ACL, remained. But without their Slovenian superstar, Dallas barely snuck into the play-in tournament before eventually having its playoff hopes dashed by the Memphis Grizzlies.
[ALSO READ: Mavericks star Kyrie Irving to sign new long-term deal with Dallas– reports]
All eyes turned to the lottery, and the Mavericks overcame the odds — and history — to secure the top overall selection for only the second time in franchise history.
[ALSO READ: Dallas Mavericks overcome odds to land no. 1 pick in 2025 NBA Draft]
And Dallas didn’t blink.
This is the Cooper Flagg Draft — the kind of draft where, regardless of team needs or style of play, every front office would have circled his name if given the chance.
Unlike many previous no. 1 picks stepping into rebuilding situations, Flagg joins a team with urgency — and the clock is already ticking.
But Dallas wouldn’t mind to say the least.
