The Mavericks select Cooper Flagg with the 1st overall pick | 2025 NBA Draft

The Mavericks select Cooper Flagg with the 1st overall pick | 2025 NBA Draft

it is there Welcome to Flag Day in Newport Maine where in just a few moments as a clock winds down anticipation is building This community is so proud not just of the athlete but of the young man of the character of the hard work of the humility that he exemplifies that they know he learned right here in Newport I spoke to his principal Mary Neto at Nakomaomas High School and she told me that Cooper has completely rewritten reality for kids all over this state They’re watching one of their own one of them achieve the ultimate dream of flying highest at top the NBA draft tonight right now Let’s go Marty I I don’t know how you can’t smile when you’re watching that that scene that state that city This is Cooper’s High School in Newport Maine watching and waiting for for the moment that really is just seconds away at this point Jay Cooper is such a tremendous person and and even more in some ways tremendous talent Yeah I think I think who he is as a person matches his talent which is considerable And you know it’s interesting with Marty Smith in Maine right now I was there uh earlier this week uh for something different It was a charity event but when I was walking down the street it was amazing how many everybody wanted to talk about Cooper Flag to the point where if Taylor Swift and Beyonce were walking down the street and Cooper was behind him people would knock them down to get him That’s how popular he is there It’s really incredible Well the thing is too he’s so humble He doesn’t like a ton of attention He really just wants to go out and hoop My favorite thing about Cooper Flag on the court is even if he’s not operating on the offensive end he can affect winning in so many other ways Rebounding finding his teammates getting defensive stops It’s not just his scoring He makes winning plays in every aspect of the game This is the moment This is the moment that Newport is waiting for This has been the moment that Dallas is waiting for The pick is officially in Let’s send it back to the podium and commissioner Adam Silver [Music] With the first pick in the 2025 NBA draft the Dallas Mavericks select Cooper Flag from Duke University There’s such a a purity to this moment A young man from Newport Maine sharing his childhood dream realized with his mother Kelly A thousand point scorer in her own right his father Ralph who also played collegiate ball his twin brother Ace and now Dallas a franchise whose eras are defined by two names Derk Nitzky who lifted a championship in 2011 and more recently Luca Donuch But this past season Dallas made a shocking overhaul trading away Luca missing the playoffs a year after making the finals But tonight marks the beginning of something new Look at his city representing for him They had just a 1.8 8% chance Dallas did to land this pick And yet here they are with the main event Cooper flag who Jay Bilis you have called the greatest Duke freshman ever That’s really saying something as he picks up his cap and has his moment with the commissioner We’re talking about Zion We’re talking about Jason Tatum We’re talking about Kyrie What sets people apart Yeah Grant Hill as well What sets him apart is he plays at both ends of the floor He’s equally as impactful as a defender as he is as an offensive player He’s a complete basketball player

Watch as Adam Silver announces that the Dallas Mavericks have selected Duke’s Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

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