Sports
Cooper Flagg, the 18-year-old Duke sensation, is widely regarded as the top prospect for the 2025 NBA Draft. With a stellar freshman season under his belt, Flagg has quickly become one of the most talked-about players in college basketball.
Throughout his year at Duke, he demonstrated incredible versatility, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. Additionally, his efficiency on the court was remarkable, shooting 48.1% from the field, 37.5% from three, and an impressive 84% from the free-throw line.
Cooper Flagg’s twin brother dominates rivals as he shows that he could be better than his brother
His all-around game earned him accolades like the ACC Player of the Year and the Naismith National Player of the Year, further solidifying his reputation as a future NBA star.
Following a successful season and a Final Four appearance with Duke, Flagg declared for the NBA Draft on April 21.
In his announcement, he expressed gratitude for his time at Duke, saying, “It was an incredible year … I feel so blessed.” Despite the team’s early exit, Flagg’s stock has only risen, with many expecting him to be selected first overall in the draft.
This would mark a significant achievement for the Dallas Mavericks, who secured the No. 1 pick through a shocking victory in the draft lottery.
Dallas Mavericks: The Cooper Flagg initiation
With the 2025 NBA Draft quickly approaching, Cooper Flagg’s future with the Mavericks seems all but confirmed. The franchise, which recently won the No. 1 pick with just a 1.8% chance, has shown considerable interest in the Duke forward.
In the days leading up to the draft, Flagg has been meeting with the Mavericks for private workouts, ensuring that his fit with the team is seamless. In typical NBA tradition, rookies undergo unique “initiations,” and Flagg’s included visits to some of Dallas’ famed steakhouses as part of the ritual, giving the future star a taste of what’s to come in his pro career.
Flagg’s transition to the NBA will be aided by his size, skill set, and maturity on the court. Scouts have lauded his versatility, suggesting he could thrive as a multi-position player for Dallas. While some have questioned his long-range shooting consistency, his potential remains undeniable.
Analysts across the league predict that, under the guidance of Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd and alongside stars like Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, Flagg could become the cornerstone of the team’s future success.
As Dallas prepares for a new era, the anticipation around Cooper Flagg’s NBA journey continues to build. With the Mavericks’ top pick locked in and Flagg poised to take center stage, all eyes will be on him as he embarks on his professional career.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
How to watch Commanders vs. Chiefs: TV channel and streaming options for October 27
The Washington Commanders (3-4) visit GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday, October 27, 2025 to go up against the Kansas City Chiefs (4-3).How to watch Washington Commanders vs. Kansas City ChiefsWashington vs. Kansas City oddsOdds provided by BetMGM.Injury reportsChiefsNo injuries listedCommandersNo injuries listedStats to know The Chiefs’ average points scored this season (26.6) and the Commanders’ points allowed (24.3) are within 2.3 points of each other. Kansas City’s offense has averaged 370.6 yards per game this season, within 6.3 yards of the 364.3 Washington’s defense has allowed. KC picks up 5.9 yards per play and DC gives up 6.1. The Commanders, on average, score 8.0 more points (25.7) than the Chiefs allow (17.7). Kansas City has surrendered 280.3 yards per game, 64.7 yards fewer than Washington has generated (345.0). Washington picks up 6.0 yards per play, while Kansas City […]
Danny Higginbotham was afraid to fly. Then he tried hypnosis
Editor’s note: This story is part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and performance through the lens of sports. Follow Peak here.For more than a year, Danny Higginbotham tried to cure his fear of flying. He tried over-the-counter medication and acupuncture. He sipped alcohol on the plane. To settle himself, he showed up to the airport three hours early, which only extended the agony.AdvertisementWhen Higginbotham played for Manchester United in England, an assistant once noticed his unease about air travel and offered a piece of advice: If something is going to go wrong, it is going to happen in the first minute. So in the moments after takeoff, Higginbotham always stared at his watch, heart pounding, counting the seconds to a minute.“As if I’d just run a marathon or a sprint,” he said.During one flight to Columbus, […]
At Juventus, ‘transition’ is a taboo term – and so Igor Tudor feels the heat
“I don’t read the papers,” Igor Tudor insisted.But the Juventus coach clearly does pay attention to what is said about him and his team.An innocuous question about how he planned to approach Wednesday’s game against Real Madrid got a six-minute answer.Tudor wanted “intellectual honesty” from the press pack that followed Juventus from Turin. Analysis of a six-game winless streak had, in the papers he doesn’t read, been unfair and lacking in context.AdvertisementIt did not, for instance, stand back and consider Juventus’ “mad schedule” and the quirks of the “algorithm” in the UEFA and Serie A fixture computers that left him facing Inter, Milan, Atalanta, Dortmund, Villarreal and Madrid during the first 10 games of the season.It focused too much on results and not performances instead. A 0-0, like the one against Milan at the start of the mont, was not, […]
PGA Tour cancels 2026 season-opening tournament The Sentry
The PGA Tour has cancelled its season-opening tournament, The Sentry, after drought and water conservation issues on the Hawaiian island of Maui, and failing to find an alternative venue.The Sony Open in Honolulu will be the first tournament of 2026, taking place from January 15-18, the latest start to a season since the PGA Tour was formed in 1969. The Plantation course in Kapalua has hosted the PGA Tour since 1999, but has been forced to close two of its courses due to severe water restrictions stemming from a dispute with the company in charge of a century-old water delivery system. Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland The tour said in a statement, "After assessing alternate venues in Hawaii and beyond, the tour determined it would not be […]
Who’s now favourite in F1’s three-way title race – and who has best car for run-in?
Formula 1 heads to Mexico City for this weekend’s latest Grand Prix with focus more than ever on the top of the Drivers’ Championship after a dramatic Sprint weekend in Austin saw Lando Norris and Max Verstappen make further inroads into Oscar Piastri’s points lead. And what had appeared a two-horse race between the McLaren drivers now having clearly increased to three thanks to the resurgent form of Red Bull's reigning world champion Verstappen, we look at the some of the big questions being asked about the championship fight heading into the decisive final weeks of the season and give you the chance to have your say on some of those key talking points... What's the state of play heading to Mexico?With five race weekends of the 2025 season to go in the space of the next seven weeks, the […]
Marko reveals what lies behind Verstappen surge in post-Horner era
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko says a "different approach" to engineering their car lies behind the surge in form that his catapulted Max Verstappen back into Formula 1 title contention.The Milton Keynes-based team's season - which featured the sacking of long-serving and hugely-successful team principal Christian Horner in July to be replaced by Laurent Mekies - had threatened to be heading for an underwhelming finish amid McLaren's domination of the Constructors' Championship and Verstappen's apparent fall out of drivers' title contention by mid-season. However, Verstappen is now firmly back in the hunt for a fifth consecutive crown against the McLaren drivers after winning three of the last four races and finishing in the top two of all five events since the August summer break.He has closed down what was a 104-point deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri to just 40 […]
Related
How to watch Commanders vs. Chiefs: TV channel and streaming options for October 27
The Washington Commanders (3-4) visit GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday, October 27, 2025 to go up against the Kansas City Chiefs (4-3).How to watch Washington Commanders vs. Kansas City ChiefsWashington vs. Kansas City oddsOdds provided by BetMGM.Injury reportsChiefsNo injuries listedCommandersNo injuries listedStats to know The Chiefs’ average points scored this season (26.6) and the Commanders’ points allowed (24.3) are within 2.3 points of each other. Kansas City’s offense has averaged 370.6 yards per game this season, within 6.3 yards of the 364.3 Washington’s defense has allowed. KC picks up 5.9 yards per play and DC gives up 6.1. The Commanders, on average, score 8.0 more points (25.7) than the Chiefs allow (17.7). Kansas City has surrendered 280.3 yards per game, 64.7 yards fewer than Washington has generated (345.0). Washington picks up 6.0 yards per play, while Kansas City […]
Danny Higginbotham was afraid to fly. Then he tried hypnosis
Editor’s note: This story is part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and performance through the lens of sports. Follow Peak here.For more than a year, Danny Higginbotham tried to cure his fear of flying. He tried over-the-counter medication and acupuncture. He sipped alcohol on the plane. To settle himself, he showed up to the airport three hours early, which only extended the agony.AdvertisementWhen Higginbotham played for Manchester United in England, an assistant once noticed his unease about air travel and offered a piece of advice: If something is going to go wrong, it is going to happen in the first minute. So in the moments after takeoff, Higginbotham always stared at his watch, heart pounding, counting the seconds to a minute.“As if I’d just run a marathon or a sprint,” he said.During one flight to Columbus, […]
At Juventus, ‘transition’ is a taboo term – and so Igor Tudor feels the heat
“I don’t read the papers,” Igor Tudor insisted.But the Juventus coach clearly does pay attention to what is said about him and his team.An innocuous question about how he planned to approach Wednesday’s game against Real Madrid got a six-minute answer.Tudor wanted “intellectual honesty” from the press pack that followed Juventus from Turin. Analysis of a six-game winless streak had, in the papers he doesn’t read, been unfair and lacking in context.AdvertisementIt did not, for instance, stand back and consider Juventus’ “mad schedule” and the quirks of the “algorithm” in the UEFA and Serie A fixture computers that left him facing Inter, Milan, Atalanta, Dortmund, Villarreal and Madrid during the first 10 games of the season.It focused too much on results and not performances instead. A 0-0, like the one against Milan at the start of the mont, was not, […]
PGA Tour cancels 2026 season-opening tournament The Sentry
The PGA Tour has cancelled its season-opening tournament, The Sentry, after drought and water conservation issues on the Hawaiian island of Maui, and failing to find an alternative venue.The Sony Open in Honolulu will be the first tournament of 2026, taking place from January 15-18, the latest start to a season since the PGA Tour was formed in 1969. The Plantation course in Kapalua has hosted the PGA Tour since 1999, but has been forced to close two of its courses due to severe water restrictions stemming from a dispute with the company in charge of a century-old water delivery system. Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland The tour said in a statement, "After assessing alternate venues in Hawaii and beyond, the tour determined it would not be […]
Marko reveals what lies behind Verstappen surge in post-Horner era
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko says a "different approach" to engineering their car lies behind the surge in form that his catapulted Max Verstappen back into Formula 1 title contention.The Milton Keynes-based team's season - which featured the sacking of long-serving and hugely-successful team principal Christian Horner in July to be replaced by Laurent Mekies - had threatened to be heading for an underwhelming finish amid McLaren's domination of the Constructors' Championship and Verstappen's apparent fall out of drivers' title contention by mid-season. However, Verstappen is now firmly back in the hunt for a fifth consecutive crown against the McLaren drivers after winning three of the last four races and finishing in the top two of all five events since the August summer break.He has closed down what was a 104-point deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri to just 40 […]
Who’s now favourite in F1’s three-way title race – and who has best car for run-in?
Formula 1 heads to Mexico City for this weekend’s latest Grand Prix with focus more than ever on the top of the Drivers’ Championship after a dramatic Sprint weekend in Austin saw Lando Norris and Max Verstappen make further inroads into Oscar Piastri’s points lead. And what had appeared a two-horse race between the McLaren drivers now having clearly increased to three thanks to the resurgent form of Red Bull's reigning world champion Verstappen, we look at the some of the big questions being asked about the championship fight heading into the decisive final weeks of the season and give you the chance to have your say on some of those key talking points... What's the state of play heading to Mexico?With five race weekends of the 2025 season to go in the space of the next seven weeks, the […]
Be the first to leave a comment