Cooper Flagg Has Already Picked Out His Number on the Mavericks

Some of his jerseys were already on sale in Dallas on Wednesday night.
Cooper Flagg poses with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as first overall by the Dallas Mavericks.
Cooper Flagg poses with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as first overall by the Dallas Mavericks. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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Minutes after the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, the team unveiled what number the Duke alum will wear as a professional: No. 32.

This number may be shocking to fans who are used to watching Flagg sport No. 2 while on the Blue Devils last season. However, No. 32 isn't a random choice for Flagg. He sported this number during his high school career because it was his mother Kelly's number when she played basketball.

Flagg wanted to wear No. 32 while at Duke, but the number is retired by the Blue Devils in honor of Christian Laettner. Funnily enough, Laettner wore No. 32 during the one season he played on the Mavericks in 2000. In the NBA, Flagg will be reunited with his meaningful jersey number.

The Mavericks are already selling Flagg jerseys at their watch party at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night. There are reportedly 3,000 available at the venue, via MFFL Nation. It'll be interesting to see how many of Flagg's jerseys sell during his rookie season.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.