NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal reveals strong thoughts on Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal gave his take on Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg.

Feb 17, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Former basketball players Dominique Wilkins (left) and Shaquille O'Neal attend NBA All Star Saturday Night at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg has already wrapped up his initial debut with the Dallas Mavericks, playing in the first two NBA Summer League games, but he's been pulled for the remainder of the event. His first game was slow, finishing with just 10 points on 5/21 shooting against the Los Angeles Lakers.

He made up for that in his second performance against the San Antonio Spurs, finishing with 31 points on 10/20 shooting, accounting for nearly half of the Mavs' 69 points in what was a brutal offensive showing from the rest of the roster. That was enough for the Mavs to feel comfortable with where he is, and they'll focus on the rest of the Summer League roster now.

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Jul 12, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Actor Jason Sudeikis speaks with Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) after the Mavericks played the San Antonio Spurs at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal was watching closely. The now Dallas resident held a charity event for his foundation on Monday and talked about Cooper Flagg. He seems to be a big fan.

"Great young man. I know both his parents very, very well,” O’Neal said. “Everything about this city, this organization, it’s going to be the right place. And then we’ll give him time to develop. We all remember Dirk [Nowitzki] wasn’t Dirk when he first got here. I think this is a great organization, a great town for him to start off his NBA career.”

Flagg has said he's been blessed to be with the Mavericks, as he won't be relied upon to be the guy right away. He can soak it all in, learn from future Hall of Famers Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving, while they develop him to be the next face of the franchise.

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