The Dallas Mavericks have had iconic franchise players over the years. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks to its lone championship during the 2010-2011 NBA season.
After Nowitzki retired, Luka Doncic was supposed to be the next franchise icon for Dallas. Doncic led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals during the 2023-24 NBA season before losing to the Boston Celtics in five games. Doncic was abruptly traded at the NBA trade deadline during the 2024-25 from Dallas to the Los Angeles Lakers. When the Mavericks missed the playoffs, they somehow lucked into the number one overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and selected Cooper Flagg.
Dallas Mavericks Legend Dirk Nowitzki Buying into the Cooper Flagg Hype
With Flagg playing with the Duke Blue Devils last season, he is only 18 years old and is ready to make an immediate impact in the NBA. Christian Clark of the Athletic talked to the Mavericks icon about what he expects from the rookie throughout his NBA career. Nowitzki said about Flagg,
“The hype is real, for sure. I’m not the biggest college sports watcher in general, whether that’s basketball or any sport, but of course I checked out Cooper. Sky is the limit, honestly. What I saw, just the way he reads the game already at that age. (He’s) barely 18, athletic, (has) skills. I heard his work ethic is through the roof. Everything I saw and heard is he’s the real deal.”
In 37 games with Duke last season, he averaged 19.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.4 BPG, and 1.4 SPG. Flagg also shot 48.1% from the field, 38.5% from three-point land, and 84.0% from the free-throw line. Hopefully, Flagg can be a franchise icon for the Mavericks for a long time.
Can Flagg lead Dallas to another NBA title in its franchise history? Nowitzki hopes that Flagg can stay with this franchise for a very long time.
More NBA News:
‘He’s the real deal’ – Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki shows confidence in Cooper Flagg before rookie season | Sporting News
