Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg has been named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year for the 2025/26 season, the league announced today (Twitter link).
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft and the youngest player in the league, Flagg led all qualified rookies with 21.0 points per game while also contributing 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals in 33.5 minutes per night across 70 contests (all starts). According to the NBA (Twitter link), Flagg and Hall-of-Famer Michael Jordan are the only rookies since 1973 to lead their respective teams in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
Flagg is the third player in Mavericks history to be named Rookie of the Year, joining Luka Doncic (2019) and his current head coach Jason Kidd (1995), per the team (Twitter link). Flagg, Jordan, and Doncic are the only three players in the past 45 years to average at least 20 points, six assists, and four rebounds per game as rookies.
Flagg narrowly beat out his former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, who finished second in Rookie of the Year voting after leading the NBA in total three-pointers (273). The Hornets swingman, drafted fourth overall last June, trailed Flagg in points (18.5), rebounds (5.3), and assists (3.4) per game, but scored his points more efficiently, shooting 47.5% from the floor, 42.5% on three-pointers, and 86.3% from the free throw line. Flagg’s shooting line was .468/.295/.827.
There was a sense that Knueppel’s historic shooting numbers and the Hornets’ relative team success might give him the edge. Charlotte finished 18 games ahead of Dallas in the NBA’s regular season standings, while Knueppel became the first rookie to ever lead the league in three-pointers.
However, Flagg was rewarded for his all-around contributions and the way he handled becoming the focal point of the Mavs’ offense with Anthony Davis traded and Kyrie Irving sidelined, gaining the upper hand with a strong finish to the season. From March 21 onward, Flagg averaged 25.5 PPG on 46.1% shooting and had separate games of 51 and 45 points, while Knueppel averaged 14.1 PPG on 39.1% shooting.
Flagg received 56 of 100 potential first-place votes and 412 total voting points, with Knueppel earning the other 44 first-place votes and 386 points (Twitter link). Since the current Rookie of the Year voting format was implemented in 2002/03, only the 15-point gap in ’21/22 – when Scottie Barnes edged out Evan Mobley – was smaller than this year’s 26-point margin.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe was nearly the unanimous third-place pick, receiving 93 third-place votes to go along with a single second-place vote. Spurs guard Dylan Harper (five third-place votes) and Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward (one third-place vote) were the only other players to appear on at least one Rookie of the Year ballot.
It’s the right choice even though both him and kon are very good players on both sides of the floor
If they gave it to kon then that would be like if carmelo took a roy from lebron
Anthony deserved it more than LeBron too
I wish they could’ve have co won it honestly.
He absolutely deserved it over Knueppel, not even a question
Both Cooper and Kon deserved it for different reasons, but Flagg has the much higher ceiling.
Kon = the next Klay Thompson. Coop = the next Lebron James.
Don’t know about that comparison. I see maybe Tatum, Bird, or Pippen, but not LeBron. I don’t see Flagg being a big time assists guy or rebounder. He will be great though.
No way Flagg will be as good as Bird
Bird only had 7 career games of over 49 points.
Flagg has 2 as a 19 year old.
Flagg will easily surpass Larry if healthy.
Lebron avg 7.5 rebounds a game in his career, and Flagg had 6.7 as a 19 year old. Bron had 5.5 rebs a game as a 19 year old. I think they will be equals on the boards. Flagg had no other good players, so the assists were a bit low, but once Kyrie comes back watch his triple doubles start to stack just like they did for Lebron.
He had a 51 and 49 point game at age 19, that’s absurd. We haven’t seen a ceiling like this since…LBJ. We can probably call HOF right now on him, if he stays healthy for 5-10 years, lol
Should really just go to awards for each conference.
Rigged
So if Cooper didn’t stat pad his stats at the end of the year, would Kon had won?
Imagine what three games can do in meaningless scrub basketball at the end of the year
It wasn’t just Flagg – Kon shrank in the last 6 weeks, especially in the last 10 games down the stretch.
“Pad his stats” = the biggest cope of all time. This is the fakest thing that basketball fans talk about. The only “stat padding” we have seen in recent memory is Moses Moody shooting unlimited 3’s at the end of the game with no defense on him, and karma bit Moody hard for doing that.
Jokic and Westbrook are habitual stat padders. Jokic at least leads to winning basketball but he 100000% knows what his stats are during game. He has that Melo/Jordan mentality “if I score 7 points a quarter thats 28 points, just need to make 2 or 2e baskets a quarter.” But with assists and rebounds added in. But back to Flagg… I mean the offense runs thru him and they made a point for him to keep scoring. Not as bad as Bam, but it was with this award in mind.
It should have been close in the end. I can live with this. Cooper definitely has the higher ceiling. The Kon is a player. He showed out this year. Hornets have good picks coming. They can really take a step up next year. Finally
Got it right!
Well deserved Coop!
The NBA does it again. Cooper had good numbers, but Kon transformed a team and made it a winner. Cooper played for his stats, not for a team. What can you expect from the NBA if they truly hate the Hornets? Just as honest as the Doncic trade to the Lakers, zero credibility, unfortunately
Kon did not “transform a team” he wasn’t even the #1 option, Lamelo was. Also Bridges, Miller, Diabate and Kalkbrenner are who “transformed the team”, it was not a single player thing, the Hornets had a lot of depth this season.
Kon = Klay Thompson 2.0. That’s a great player. Flagg proved it over and over he was much better than Kon by being Lebron 2.0.
Cooper played as a 19 year old and was the #1 option and looked way more dominant than Kon was.
I like Miller. He will be big time.
Kalkbrenner is super good too
This is not right. Kon should have won taking it from the whole season.
Yes, Flagg has the highest ceiling, but that’s not what the award is for.
The last few weeks, where lots of teams are tanking and obviously the mavs and Flagg were trying to up his stats… Does not sit right…I would have Kon first and Edgecombe battling Cooper for 2nd.
Some players are stats chasers…Jokic the biggest… but still great players obviously..
I feel you. It was close. Cooper also stepped up and was team leader. Mavs redid offense around him. He deserves credit for that. I would have been good with a tie. Copper by the slightest of margins.
It actually isn’t about anything specific, its “rookie of the year” not “most counting stats” or even “best rate stats”.
Cooper is already a dominant #1 piece, Kon will never be that. Kon is like Klay Thompson in his prime, which is a top 20-ish guy, which is an awesome building block back to contention for Charlotte. Hornets have a bright future.
If Lebron won ROY, Cooper has to too.
Its about the year lol. Kon impact got them into play-in. Hornets actually became a good team. You can’t just dismiss his yr. It was close. I think Cooper pull it out last two wks. Where he showed his dominance.
Give Kon some credit bro.
I literally called him the next Klay Thompson! That’s an incredibly high ceiling
Yeah but we are talking best yr. Only about this yr.