On the afternoon of May 12, Cooper Flagg`s immediate family gathered inside his hotel room in downtown Chicago. Present were his twin brother, Ace, his father, Ralph, and his mother, Kelly. They were getting ready for the 2025 NBA draft lottery, which was scheduled to start later that evening at the nearby McCormick Place Convention Center.
Before leaving, the family of the Duke superstar freshman, who was the presumed top pick in the upcoming NBA draft, spent about 30 minutes discussing his future. They had held similar conversations before, considering potential landing spots and what each offered. This served as their final discussion before one of the most anticipated American prospects in years would finally learn where he would likely begin his NBA career that night.
The family had known for months that the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, and Charlotte Hornets had the highest probabilities of securing the top pick. In the room, they reviewed the potential benefits of each team. Washington was a short flight from Maine and North Carolina, where the family spent their time. Charlotte also offered proximity and a built-in fanbase for Duke alumni. Utah was led by Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, a player from the 1980s Boston Celtics teams that Cooper’s parents greatly admired and introduced to their sons early on.
However, they also considered a significant negative factor. Like many highly-rated prospects, Flagg had never experienced sustained losing at any level. Despite his potential rookie performance, he was almost certainly headed for a team with a poor record. While he consistently stated he “just wanted to hoop” anywhere, those close to him expressed concerns about how the intensely competitive prospect would adapt emotionally to such a situation.
“It would be difficult for me to imagine Cooper going through a season with a lot of losing,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer commented. Flagg’s father acknowledged this, saying, “It was something we discussed.”
Shortly after, the family walked to the convention center. Flagg`s representatives provided guidance: cameras would be focused on them all night, especially when the lottery order was announced. Any reaction, positive or negative, would attract attention and headlines. They advised Flagg and his family to remain neutral.
Flagg sat in a front-row seat beside his Duke teammate, Kon Knueppel. Ralph, Kelly, Ace, and Flagg`s longtime trainer, Matt MacKenzie, sat directly behind Cooper. Facing the stage, they watched NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum rapidly announce the first 10 picks in just over two minutes. Even this brief announcement period contained surprising developments.
Washington and Utah dropped out of the top four, while the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs unexpectedly jumped into those spots. Sitting in their seats, the family tried to maintain composure while considering the new possibilities unfolding. Flagg had even briefly envisioned a potential pairing with 7-foot-5 Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs` top pick from 2023.
Then, Tatum announced the next pick: Charlotte. This meant Dallas, San Antonio, and the Philadelphia 76ers were in the top three. The odds of this specific outcome were, according to research, just 1%. Twelve seconds later, Tatum announced Philadelphia picking third and San Antonio second, meaning the Mavericks, who had a mere 1.8% chance of winning the lottery going into the night, had secured the top pick.
The Mavericks had the fourth-lowest odds to win the lottery since 1985. Their jump of 10 spots was the largest by any team since the draft lottery format was changed in 2019.
In just a few minutes, the Flagg family`s entire perspective and planning, which had been underway for months, completely shifted. The announcement sent shockwaves across the NBA. A franchise and fanbase still recovering from the difficult midseason trade of superstar Luka Doncic was now positioned to draft another potentially generational talent in Flagg.
From their seats, Flagg’s family was equally astonished. “Dallas wasn`t even a possibility we considered,” his father, Ralph, stated. Text messages flooded in asking if they were happy or sad, why they weren`t reacting, and if they realized what had just happened. Their minds raced.
Instead of facing the pressure of being a key player on a team with significant losses, he would join one that reached the NBA Finals just a year prior. By all accounts, he was positioned to be the figure who could help heal the fan base`s disappointment following Doncic’s departure. Flagg would immediately face a different kind of pressure, one few No. 1 picks experience: helping established players like Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II win in the NBA, and win quickly.
“We never even thought the impossible could happen on May 12,” a Mavericks team source commented. “I`m not sure there has ever been a more abrupt reversal of fortune.”
Jon Scheyer, who coached Flagg for one season at Duke, watched the lottery from his hotel. He described the Mavericks as a “dream spot” for Flagg, saying he truly felt that way. As Flagg and his family left the convention center that night, they began to feel the same. Two former Duke players, Kyrie Irving and center Dereck Lively II, were already on the roster. Scheyer later told Flagg that Lively was among the best people he had coached. Having played alongside Khaman Maluach at Duke, Flagg would likely now play with Lively in Dallas. “Enjoy that!” Scheyer told him.
They believed Flagg could learn from players with championship experience or significant success, such as Irving and, they hoped, retired Dallas legend Dirk Nowitzki. Scheyer commented, “He`s not going to arrive in Dallas thinking he has all the answers. He`s going to learn from Kyrie, he`s going to learn from Dereck Lively and Jason Kidd and his staff. He`s coming in to learn, and I think that`s a special part about him.”
Like many others, the Flagg family had seen the considerable backlash from Mavericks fans after Doncic`s abrupt trade to the Los Angeles Lakers the previous season. They saw instances of jersey burnings and protests. To them, however, this demonstrated a strong, admirable bond with the organization, even if it had been severely tested. “They are a very passionate fan base,” Ralph said, “and based on what we understand and have seen on social media, I think they are ready to fully embrace Cooper.”
“Dallas has been fortunate for many years,” Scheyer added. “They`ve had the opportunity to watch Dirk, Luka — so many winning teams. Now, they have Cooper, who I believe will continue that tradition.”
His impact on the organization was felt immediately, starting with their financial performance. “We were surprisingly able to renew 75-80% of our season tickets,” one Mavericks team source stated. “But we still had a lot of work to do to regain the confidence and support of a notable portion of our fanbase. We sold $8 million in new season tickets in the three days after the lottery.”
The source also mentioned that following the negative reaction to the Doncic trade, one company considering a sponsorship partnership with the Mavericks had paused discussions. However, after seeing the lottery results and the positive fan response, that same company agreed to a new sponsorship deal with the team. “We`ve completed two additional new sponsor deals since the luck of the lottery, including the second-largest in our history,” the Mavericks source confirmed.
After the lottery, Flagg traveled across the country, training with MacKenzie near Los Angeles. Flagg also went to North Carolina to attend his brother`s high school graduation and then north to Maine for the graduation of his former classmates at Nokomis High School.
The Flagg family has already booked an Airbnb in Las Vegas to watch him play during the summer league. While draft parties are being organized in Flagg`s hometown of Newport, Maine, the family enjoyed some quiet time away from the media focus in Westlake Village, where Flagg continued his workouts before returning to New York for the draft.
Recently, the family visited a store in Los Angeles for Flagg`s draft night suit fitting. As they watched specialists work with Flagg, the significance of the moment – the upcoming start of his NBA journey – became real for those around him. They looked at each other, surprised by how quickly everything had unfolded.
“He`s in a good mental state,” MacKenzie commented. “He`s in good physical condition, and I think he`s ready for this next phase of his career.”