Only 26 games into his professional career, Cooper Flagg is playing well beyond his years for the Dallas Mavericks. With his most recent performance, his name is now listed alongside some NBA legends.
Flagg dropped a career-high 42 points in a 140-133 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday, December 15, shooting 13-27 from the field and 15-20 from the free throw line. It was the first 40-point game of his career, after he scored 35 points in a 114-110 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on November 29.
The rookie has been getting comparisons to LeBron James since going toe to toe with him in a scrimmage against Team USA last summer, but Flagg surpassed the King for the most points scored in a game by an 18-year-old in NBA history on Monday. James scored 37 points as a rookie against the Boston Celtics on December 13, 2003, two weeks before his 19th birthday.
Flagg joins an incredible list that includes LeBron and other players who reached superstardom almost immediately upon entering the league. The Duke product probably won’t reach the top of the list, considering he turns 19 next week, but the company he’ll keep for the rest of his career will be elite.
Most Points Before Age 19 In NBA History
With his 42-point game against the Jazz, Flagg moved into third on the all-time list for most points scored before age 19 in NBA history. He is now ahead of Tracy McGrady and trails only James and Kobe Bryant.
Here is the top-10 list for most points scored by NBA players younger than 19, courtesy of StatMuse:
- LeBron James — 625 points (31 games)
- Kobe Bryant — 539 points (71 games)
- Cooper Flagg — 479 points (26 games)
- Tracy McGrady — 451 points (64 games)
- Bill Willoughby — 292 points (62 games)
- Jermaine O’Neal — 185 points (45 games)
- Dwight Howard — 179 points (17 games)
- Jalen Duren — 82 points (13 games)
- Andrew Bynum — 74 points (46 games)
- Andris Biedrins — 73 points (20 games)
Flagg also tied Mark Aguirre for the most points by a rookie in Mavericks history, and earlier this season, he became the third-youngest player in NBA history to record multiple 20-point games, trailing only Bryant and James.
When Does Cooper Flagg Turn 19?
Flagg’s birthday is December 21, meaning he’ll turn 19 on Sunday. Flagg is the youngest player to appear in an NBA game this season, followed by the Chicago Bulls’ Noa Essengue, whose birthday is December 18.
Flagg is not the youngest player to ever appear in an NBA game, however. That distinction belongs to Bynum, who debuted for the Los Angeles Lakers just six days after his 18th birthday in 2005. The NBA created the “one-and-done” rule, where players must be at least one year removed from their high school graduation to enter the league, beginning with the 2006 draft.
Flagg is beginning to show he is the franchise cornerstone the Mavericks hoped he would be when they selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 draft. In his last 10 games, Flagg is averaging 21.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and four assists while shooting 49.7% from the field.
If there’s one area of his game that needs to improve significantly, it’s his three-point shooting, as he’s knocked them down at only a 19.2% clip since November 22. Let’s not forget, though, Flagg is still just 18-years-old.
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