Lakers LeBron James Gives His Verdict on Cooper Flagg This Season

The oldest player in the NBA just shared a court with the youngest, and the result was a night full of history. Cooper Flagg dropped 45 points as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 134-128, and LeBron James had plenty to say after.

Speaking to reporters postgame, as shared by reporter Abby Jones on X, LeBron was asked whether he sees any part of his own rookie experience in what Flagg is doing this season as a teenager.

"I don't know, I have to answer that off the record. I mean, I love what he's doing. I love what he's bringing to this franchise. And like I said, he looks like he loves the game. He's putting in the work."
Lebron James

He then brought up Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, noting that Kidd faced early criticism for being played at point guard as a rookie. LeBron thought that was unfair, and said going through those rough patches is exactly how players grow faster than everyone else.

"I think it's just great to put the ball in somebody's hands so they can just go through the rough patches. And when you go through the rough patches, it allows you to grow at a rate faster than other players."
Lebron James

LeBron James was asked if he sees any similarity’s between he and Cooper Flagg’s introduction to the league; being the face of a franchise as a teenager.

“I love what he’s doing. I love what he’s bringing to this franchise. He looks like he loves the game. He’s putting in the… pic.twitter.com/DRyOsKk2KB
— Abby Jones (@_abigaiiiil) April 6, 2026

That brought LeBron to his own rookie year in Cleveland, and the coach who shaped him the same way.

That's what Paul Silas, rest his soul, did for me. My rookie year, I basically started at point guard early on. And he allowed me to make mistakes, and make mistakes, and make mistakes, and play against tough defense and things like that. And I had to make the reads or whatever, so I see similarities in that.
Lebron James

LeBron also made clear this was not a new observation. He said he had been watching Flagg long before draft night, tracking him all the way from the AAU circuit out of Maine.

"I mean, he's obviously special. I've seen that all the way back to like the AU days when he was coming up in the ranks and playing with his team out of Maine and just doing the things that he was doing on the circuit. So I knew he was special from there."
James said, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin

Beyond Flagg, LeBron took a step back and gave credit to the whole 2025 rookie class.

“It was a shot to the heart and the chest and the mainframe with Luka … I woke up from my nap and saw that [Reaves] news and was like, ‘S—-.’” - LeBron James on the Lakers injury news in the last 48 hours pic.twitter.com/tMroooZQBo
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 6, 2026

"It's a great rookie class. You look at VJ in Philly, you look at Kon in Charlotte, you look at Dylan in San Antonio. All those guys are making an impact on their respective teams. So, the league is in good hands."
James said, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Cooper Flagg Reacts to Sharing the Court With LeBron James

Flagg was equally gracious after the game. In his postgame press conference, he told reporters:

"I think it's pretty cool. Obviously, he's somebody I was a little kid watching go through his whole career. It's a dream come true. These are the moments, these are the times, to be able to match up against somebody like that, the career he's had. It's incredible."
Cooper Flagg

On the stat sheet, Flagg is averaging 21.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game this season. Two nights before facing the Lakers, he became the first teenager in NBA history to score 50 points in a game. Against LeBron's squad, he followed that up with 45, making him the first rookie with back-to-back 40-point games since Allen Iverson in 1997.

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