Cooper Flagg, the consensus No. 1 overall selection, has been drafted first overall by the Mavericks at the 2025 NBA Draft in Brooklyn on Wednesday.

Since declaring early for the NCAA, Flagg has been seen as the de facto top selection in this year’s class. He only elevated his standing in his lone season at Duke, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks over 37 games with the Blue Devils. 

The 18-year-old capped off his stellar season by being named the national college player of the year and becoming the first freshman since Zion Williamson in 2019 to win the John Wooden and Naismith awards. 

His individual accolades helped the Blue Devils to their best season under Jon Scheyer, as they advanced to the Final Four before losing to the Houston Cougars. 

The six-foot-nine two-way star now joins a Mavericks team that won the lottery despite having only a 1.8 chance to secure the top pick.

They finished with a 39-43 record last season after the stunning Luka Doncic trade and should be well-positioned to contend around Flagg quickly, employing his defensive talents alongside five-time All-Defensive selection Anthony Davis and eventually pairing next to a recently re-signed Kyrie Irving, who’ll be working his way back from an ACL injury.