The Dallas Mavericks did what everyone knew they would on Wednesday when they selected Cooper Flagg as the No 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
“I’m feeling amazing. It’s a dream come true, to be honest,” Flagg said after he was selected, surrounded by his family. “I wouldn’t want to share it with anybody else.”
The forward was brilliant in his single year of college basketball at Duke, which had come after he was a highly touted player in high school.
When Dallas overcame long odds in this year’s draft lottery to win the No 1 overall pick, there was no doubt they would go on to pick the 18-year-old from Maine. It is a move that may go some way to soothing the Mavs fanbase, who erupted in anger when the team traded superstar Luke Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this year.
The 6ft 8in Flagg helped guide Duke to an NCAA Final Four appearance after averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks as a freshman. He won the Wooden Award as the nation’s best college player along with taking home other honors including ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC All-Defensive Team.
The Mavericks had the No 1 overall pick for the second time in franchise history. They also had the top selection in 1981, when they drafted Mark Aguirre out of DePaul.
