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Cooper Flagg Instantly Names the Most Famous Contact in His Phone

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 3:44 PM ET

The anticipation is palpable as former Duke Blue Devils star and No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg prepares to make his Summer League debut on Thursday night for the Dallas Mavericks in a highly anticipated matchup against Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Ahead of his debut, the Mavericks sat down with Flagg for a rapid-fire Q&A segment, giving him just 32 seconds to answer as many questions as possible—a nod to his jersey number.

One of the questions asked was who the most famous person in his phone contacts was. Without hesitation, Flagg named fellow Duke standout and Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum—a player he’s repeatedly said he looks up to and tries to model aspects of his game after.

"Get to know Coop in 32 seconds before his Summer League debut," Mavericks posted.

Get to know Coop in 32 seconds before his Summer League debut ⏲️@Cooper_Flagg // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/XFuy2tV90F
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) July 10, 2025

Fans reacted to that specific answer of Tatum:

"Bro is a low key Celtics fan," a fan said.

Another fan posted, "Mentioning a Celtics player is a bad start my guy."

Someone else added, "Cooper Flagg to the Celtics."

"He loves Jayson Tatum," one more fan commented.

Flagg, who hails from Newport, Maine, didn’t grow up with an NBA team in his home state. But being from New England, it’s no surprise that he and his family were longtime fans of the Celtics.

He’s previously named Larry Bird as his all-time favorite player, but there’s one current star who he says will make his “welcome to the NBA” moment feel surreal—Jayson Tatum.

“That’s a good question,” Flagg said when asked which NBA player will make his debut moment feel real. “Maybe Jayson Tatum. That’s somebody I watched a lot at Duke and then watched a lot again as he’s gone on to the Celtics."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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