Mavericks' Cooper Flagg Has Made a 'Fan' Out of Lakers' LeBron James

Cooper Flagg has already received the seal of approval from one of the game's greatest.

Apr 5, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball as Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) defends during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg has had as impressive a two-game stretch as you will ever see by a rookie. He scored 51 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday night, then followed that up against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday with 45 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds in a win.

It's giving Flagg a late-season push for Rookie of the Year, as he battles it out with his former Duke roommate, Kon Knueppel. But putting up that kind of performance against LeBron James, arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport, is going to raise some eyebrows.

That includes James, who was extremely complimentary of Flagg after the game.

"Cooper's been in a zone over the last couple of games," James said after Sunday's matchup. "But also just been playing consistent basketball all year... from early in the season to where he is today, that's great. As a fan of him and a fan of the game."

LeBron on Cooper:

"(He's) been in a zone over the last couple of games. But also just been playing consistent basketball all year...from early in the season to where he is today that's great. As a fan of him and a fan of the game" pic.twitter.com/1yVRVp6ysa

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) April 6, 2026

LeBron James had a big game himself, putting up 30 points, 15 assists, and 9 rebounds, while Luke Kennard also chipped in his first career triple-double. However, they're having to play without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who are each dealing with injuries expected to keep them out for around 4 weeks. That was too much to overcome, even against a bad Mavs team, especially with Cooper Flagg having a performance like this.

LeBron James Commends Cooper Flagg, Rookie Class

The Rookie of the Year race is as heated as we've seen in a while, but this is also an extremely talented rookie class. Even outside of Flagg and Knueppel, plenty of rookies are having standout seasons that deserve recognition, even for a second-rounder such as Maxime Reynaud. LeBron James weighed in on the class as well.

"[Cooper]'s obviously special. I've seen that all the way back to AAU days, when he was coming up through the ranks with his team out of Maine... Knew he was special from then... Looks like he loves the game, he's putting in the work, so he's gotten better, but it's a great rookie class. You look at VJ [Edgecombe] in Philly, Kon [Knueppel] in Charlotte, you look at Dylan [Harper] in San Antonio, it's a great rookie class. All those guys are making an impact on their respective teams, so the league is in good hands with those rooks."

LeBron James weighs in on the ROTY conversation after Cooper Flagg put up 45 PTS (vs Lakers) after coming off 51 PTS (Magic).

James says “the league is in good hands” with these rooks. pic.twitter.com/QiTHYfDGzC

— Abby Jones (@_abigaiiiil) April 6, 2026

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