Former Duke star Cooper Flagg is already one of the most popular players in the NBA.
Former Duke star Cooper Flagg may only be an NBA rookie, but the Dallas Mavericks forward is already one of the most popular players in the association.
Flagg sits 16th among Western Conference players with 236,182 All-Star votes, a distinction unmatched by any first-year player from either conference.
While speaking to Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal, Flagg opened up about all the people voting for him.
“Yeah, I feel blessed,” Flagg said. “Obviously, to see that is really cool. I feel really honored and really blessed just to see my name up there.”
Flagg, who averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in his lone season at Duke, just turned 19 years old. All signs point toward the youngster dominating the NBA for the next decade or so.
“Like I said, I feel really blessed and honored," Flagg said. "I’m just going to keep trying to get better every day.”
Flagg was a star in college. Now, he's a star in the NBA. The swingman is averaging 18.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game with the Mavericks. He will likely win the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
“Yeah, I feel good,” Flagg said. “Like I said before, I’m figuring out my routine, just trying to get my body right. It’s day to day for me — figuring out new things that work and what doesn’t. I’m just figuring it out.”
Flagg didn't win a title at Duke, but he only spent one season there. Duke and Mavericks fans are certainly rooting for Flagg to win multiple NBA championships.
For that to happen, Flagg has to continue to be aggressive on offense, something he's been doing a lot of lately for the Mavericks, who continue to be without another Duke legend, Kyrie Irving.
“Yeah, just being aggressive,” Flagg said. “Finding gaps, attacking gaps, getting downhill. I had a lot of success at the rim, so we’ll see how it goes tonight.”
Flagg's best game in college was against Notre Dame on January 11, 2025. He had 42 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
Thus far in the NBA, Flagg's career high is 42 points. How crazy is that.