Dallas Mavericks basketball player, 19-year-old Cooper Flagg, who was the first pick in last year’s draft, is the winner of the election for the best rookie this season, the NBA office announced.
Flagg became the third Dallas basketball player who won this award, after Jason Kidd (1995) and Luka Dončić (2019).
Although the Mavericks missed the playoffs and finished 26-56 in 12th place in the Western Conference, Cooper Flagg impressed voters with averages of 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals.
Flagg became the youngest NBA player to score 50 or more points in one game and is the first rookie since Michel Jordan (1984/1985) to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
COOP IN THE MOST ELITE COMPANY 🔥
He’s the first rookie to lead his team in PTS, REB, AST and STL since Michael Jordan in 1984-85.
He’s also the second-youngest rookie of the year ever, behind only LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/qntFplyVFk
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 28, 2026
Flagg found himself in first place, which brings five points, at 56 votersand 44 times he was second (three points), which brought him 412 points. By doing so, he surpassed his former teammate from Duke Kon Knueppel from the Charlotte Hornets by only 26 points, who finished the season with an average of 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists, and became the first rookie who, with 273 three-pointers, was the NBA’s best long-range shooter in that statistical category.
The third finalist was VJ Edgecombe from Philadelphia who won a total of 96 points, and the names of Dylan Harper from San Antonio (5 points) and Cedric Coward from Memphis (1 point) were also on the ballot.
(Hina | Photo: X)
