Cooper Flagg Passes LeBron James to Make NBA History With First 35-Point Game

James and Flagg are the only players to score 35 points or more in a game at just 18 years old.

Cooper Flagg scored 35 points in a win over the Clippers Saturday | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg had the best game of his young NBA career Saturday night as he dropped 35 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Mavericks’ 114-110 win over the Clippers.

This year’s No. 1 pick doesn’t turn 19 until Dec. 21, making him the only rookie to have a 35-point game at 18 years old other than LeBron James—Pretty solid company. Even more impressive, Flagg became the youngest player to score 35 points in a game in NBA history.

James had two 35-point games as an 18-year-old rookie for the Cavaliers in 2003, but Flagg beat him as the youngest player to reach the feat by a mere five days. James’s first 35-point night came when he scored 37 points in a loss against the Celtics when he was 18 years and 348 days old. Flagg’s big night came at 18 years and 343 days old, just surpassing the NBA’s all-time leading scorer to become the youngest player to score 35 points or more in a game.

CAREER-HIGH NIGHT FOR NO. 1 PICK COOPER FLAGG 🔥

35 PTS | 8 REB pic.twitter.com/a2pEDAbvuC

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 30, 2025

After James’s 37-point night in ‘03, he scored 36 points in a win over the 76ers just six days later, giving the all-time great two 35-point games as an 18-year-old. Against James and the Lakers Friday, Flagg had a 13-point, 11-assist double-double as his team fell to Los Angeles behind 38 points from Austin Reaves and another 35 from Luka Dončić.

Flagg’s 11 assists are the most ever by an 18 year old. He added seven rebounds, too, just three shy of a triple-double. Through 20 games in his rookie year, the Duke product and prized prospect is averaging 16.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Dallas snapped a three-game losing streak with the win over the Clippers Saturday night, standing at 6-15 on the season amid an apparent rebuild around Flagg after general manager Nico Harrison’s firing.

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