It is official: Cooper Flagg has been selected by the Dallas Mavericks as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night, June 25, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 

Flagg, a 6-foot-9 wing out of Duke University from the US State of Maine, has been the consensus top overall pick for over a year, and he finally gets to hear his name called officially at the draft.

Flagg had a one-of-a-kind college freshman season at Duke, leading the team in every category (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks). He also won the National Player of the Year award and led Duke to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament.

ANALYSIS: The Mavericks have lucked out on the chance to select Flagg after they had only just the 11th-best odds in the draft lottery. This also seems to be a blessing in disguise for Dallas after the fans’ outrage in February after GM Nico Harrison traded away franchise player and superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.

Now, Flagg lands in Dallas, bringing his winning mentality and the factor that stood out to most coaches and scouts: defense. This has been Harrison’s blueprint for building a team around Davis, and Flagg immediately blends in with the team, complementing his versatile skillset on offense.