Cooper Flagg named NBA Rookie of the Year
Cooper Flagg has been named the 2025–26 NBA Rookie of the Year after an outstanding debut season with the Dallas Mavericks.
The award was selected by a global media panel of 100 voters. Flagg finished ahead of Kon Knueppel by 26 points, the second-smallest margin since the current voting format began in 2002–03. VJ Edgecombe placed third.
Flagg led all rookies in scoring with 21 points per game. He also averaged 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks, showing his all-around impact.
At 19 years old, he is the second-youngest winner in history, behind only LeBron James.
He also led Dallas in total points, rebounds, assists and steals. The only other rookie to do that since steals were first tracked is Michael Jordan.
One of his standout moments came in a 51-point performance against the Orlando Magic, making him the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points. He also became the first rookie since Allen Iverson to record four 40-point games in a season.
