Flagg has gone from sitting on a bucket for hours at a time harvesting peas to finding a place in the NBA as the No. 1 draft pick.

The Dallas Mavericks have wasted no time making their intentions clear for Cooper Flagg, the top selection in the 2025 NBA Draft.

For about two years, Cooper Flagg has been expected to be the top pick in the 2025 NBA draft. That will finally become a reality Wednesday, as the Dallas Mavericks are set to select the former Duke star first overall.

Cooper Flagg knows the expectations. ... Kidd has previously praised Flagg’s maturity and competitive drive, calling his mindset rare for an 18-year-old entering the league.

The shot chart told one story Thursday night at Thomas & Mack Center: five makes on 21 attempts, zero three-pointers on five tries. By any statistical measure,

Cooper Flagg is unflappable and happy to do whatever is required to win. His well-rounded game makes him league ready entering Draft night.

“Y ou kind of have to think of the Kobe [Bryant] arc, ” former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban told a small group of reporters. “It took him some time to get it right. I don’t want to curse him by comparing him to Kobe because they’re not the same. But Kobe didn’t come in right away as a polished player. It took him two years to get it.”

Flagg, drafted No. 1 by the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, had a few suitors wanting him to represent their shoe and apparel product.