Cooper Flagg Wins 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year
cooper-flagg-wins-nba-rookie-of-the-year-2025-26
DALLAS — Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg has been voted the NBA’s 2025-26 Rookie of the Year, the league announced Thursday.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 33.5 minutes over 70 starts, topping all qualified rookies in scoring. At 19, he was the youngest player in the league this season.
Flagg and Hall of Famer Michael Jordan are the only first-year players since 1973 to lead their teams in total points, rebounds, assists and steals. He also became the third Maverick to capture the award, joining Luka Dončić (2019) and current head coach Jason Kidd (1995).
The 6-foot-10 forward edged former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel in one of the closest votes since the current system began in 2002-03. Flagg received 56 of 100 first-place votes and 412 total points; Knueppel collected the remaining 44 first-place votes and finished with 386 points. Only the 15-point gap between Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley in 2021-22 was smaller.
Knueppel, selected No. 4 overall by Charlotte, led the NBA with 273 made three-pointers while posting 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game on .475/.425/.863 shooting. The Hornets finished 18 games ahead of Dallas in the regular-season standings.
Flagg strengthened his case down the stretch, averaging 25.5 points on 46.1% shooting after March 21, including 51- and 45-point performances. During the same span, Knueppel averaged 14.1 points on 39.1% shooting.
Philadelphia guard VJ Edgecombe was a near-unanimous third-place choice with 93 third-place votes and one second-place vote. Spurs guard Dylan Harper (five third-place votes) and Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward (one third-place vote) were the only other rookies to appear on ballots.
Flagg, Jordan and Dončić are the only rookies in the past 45 years to average at least 20 points, six assists and four rebounds per game. Flagg finished the season shooting .468 from the field, .295 from three-point range and .827 at the foul line.
Source: Hoops Rumors
