The irony and sheer ridiculousness of the NBA draft lottery results on Monday, May 12, in Chicago were not lost on Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
The Dallas Mavericks won the No. 1 overall pick in 2025, which puts them in poll position to draft Duke superstar Cooper Flagg. Dallas lucked into that selection despite having less than a 2% chance to do so based on the lottery odds.
Furthermore, the news comes on the heels of the Mavericks trading superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis back in February — a move that infuriated the Dallas fan base and has had general manager Nico Harrison on the hot seat ever since.
That Davis suffered a serious injury in his first game with the Mavericks and that Kyrie Irving, another past championship teammate of James, sustained an ACL tear shortly after contributed to a veritable Shakespearian comedy of errors in Dallas — some self-inflicted, some uncontrollable, but all tragic.
Arguably no team in NBA history — or American sports history, for that matter — had imploded to such a degree so soon after making it almost all the way to the mountaintop; the Mavericks played in the NBA Finals just one year before.
But then, as though a gift from the heavens, Flagg fell into the Mavericks’ collective lap on Monday as perhaps one of the few players who could prove generationally talented enough to actually replace Doncic in a meaningful way, while also bringing hope back to a franchise that had just robbed its fans of almost all of it.
James took to X to post his reaction, which said it all despite including no actual words.
“😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂,” James wrote.
Cooper Flagg Spoke Publicly Immediately After Mavericks Won NBA Draft Lottery
GettyFormer Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg.
Dallas won’t make its first pick official until June 25, though the overwhelming likelihood is that the Mavericks will end up selecting the 18-year-old Flagg.
A two-way player and forward at Duke who led the Blue Devils to a Final Four appearance as a true freshman, Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals during an All-American campaign in 2024-25.
He was also in attendance at the lottery on Monday night and spoke with the ESPN hosts who emceed the event just after the Mavericks won the rights to the first pick. Both Kendrick Perkins and Bob Myers phrased questions to Flagg as though Dallas had already picked him first overall, but the media savvy prospect avoided answering them as though he was already the Mavericks No. 1 selection.
“It’s just an incredible experience to be here. This is what I dreamed of since I was a little kid,” Flagg said. “I didn’t try and think about [where I would end up] too much. It’s kinda out of my control.”
Mavericks Could Potentially Compete in Western Conference in 2025-26 With Cooper Flagg
Getty Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks’ stated vision for the franchise after trading Doncic was to build a defensive juggernaut that could compete for a title over the next few seasons with aging, yet still talented, star leaders in Davis and Irving.
Injuries immediately disrupted that vision last season, and Irving’s rehabilitation will hinder it to begin the 2025-26 campaign. However, should he return healthy, and should Davis also remain healthy — two considerable ifs — the addition of Flagg could be legitimately meaningful to the Mavericks’ chances to compete in the Western Conference as early as next year.
Dallas has size in the paint and perimeter defense, to which Flagg should be able to add even as a teenaged rookie. He also provides the Mavericks with more offense alongside Irving and Davis, and could potentially be the team’s No. 3 option by the time the 2026 postseason rolls around.
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