Cooper Flagg Accomplished Something No One Else in the History of Basketball Has

Cooper Flagg's Rookie of the Year win sets him apart for an impressive feat.

Mar 30, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg was rightfully named the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year on Monday night, making him the third player in Dallas Mavericks history to win the award, joining Luka Doncic and Jason Kidd. It was the second-closest vote since they changed voting in 2002-03, with Flagg beating Kon Knueppel by just 26 points.

Flagg was the rightful winner. He was the heavy favorite for most of the season, missed eight games because of a foot injury, then Knueppel became the favorite, and Flagg had to battle back to take the award home.

In doing so, Flagg made basketball history, becoming the first player ever to win National High School Player of the Year (Gatorade and Naismith), NCAA Player of the Year, and NBA Rookie of the Year, according to Mavericks broadcaster Mark Followill. He also accomplished this feat in three straight years, making it even more impressive.

Flagg was one of just four freshmen to win national player of the year in college, joining Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and Zion Williamson. Duke's Cameron Boozer joined that elite company this year. Durant lost out on HS player of the year to Greg Oden, Anthony Davis didn't win HS POTY or NBA Rookie of the Year, and Williamson was similar to Davis. Boozer won't be able to join that company, as he lost out on HS POTY to Darryn Peterson.

These days, the best players coming out of high school are going to be one-and-dones, so if they can't win national player of the year as a freshman in college, rarely do they stay to try and accomplish that. This may be something that Flagg holds onto for a long time.

Apr 8, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of the jersey of Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) against the Phoenix Suns in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg's Historic Stretch

Cooper Flagg's rookie season will be one we talk about for a long time. We've mentioned a few times how the only other rookie besides Flagg in the last 50+ years to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals was Michael Jordan.

Flagg is also the second-youngest Rookie of the Year winner in NBA history after LeBron James, who entered the NBA right out of high school. The last rookie to have four 40-point games in his rookie season was Allen Iverson.

Everyone expected Flagg to be a great player, but I don't think anyone expected him to have this kind of a historic season. He's a future superstar; the only thing to wonder about is how quickly he gets there.

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