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Cooper Flagg Joined By Another No. 1 Pick on Mavs' Summer League Roster
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg Joined By Another No. 1 Pick on Mavs' Summer League Roster

Originally posted on Athlon Sports  |  By Nathan Karseno  |  Last updated Jul 8, 2025 10:59 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks' prized No. 1 overall pick in last month's 2025 NBA Draft Cooper Flagg will grace the floor for the first time as a pro in the NBA Summer League on July 10 in Las Vegas against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Basketball fans will have plenty of opportunities to watch last year's college Player of the Year as Dallas will play four Summer League games, each with one day of rest in between. They will all be broadcasted on national television, with the July 10 and July 16 contests airing on ESPN primetime (7 p.m. CT).

Flagg will be joined on the roster by a variety of G League players, two-way rookies, and some international prospects.

The Duke phenom also isn't the only first overall pick in his respective draft to represent the Mavs this summer.

Aliou Diarra was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2025-26 NBA G League International Draft by the Mavs' affiliate Texas Legends.

The 6-10 forward from Mali will now prepare to suit up in Vegas and join Flagg as another sought-after talent with great versatility - especially defensively.

Diarra recently won the Dikembe Mutumbo Defensive Player of the Year award in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) for the second time. He averaged 17.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals and an astounding 3.0 blocks per game last season.

"Diarra is a terrific shot blocker, decent rebounder, and exceptional defender," BAL said in a profile article. "However, he is far from being a prolific three-point shooter, which happens to be his weakest asset. It’s his consistent performances that make him unique.

"In his last 16 BAL games, Diarra recorded 14 double-doubles, making him the only player in league history to reach this mark."

Diarra was among the 17 players from 15 different countries drafted, according to the G League. He is one of three players from the BAL that made a Summer League roster, joining league MVP and No. 5 pick Jean-Jacques Boissy of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Babacar Sane of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

While Flagg is a shoe-in to make the Mavericks' roster, Diarra will have a long road ahead of him in pursuing his dreams of making it to the NBA. Nonetheless, he has earned a massive opportunity to showcase his skills on the biggest stage of his career.

Dallas is already loaded with front court size and defensive instincts with Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford and Flagg occupying the roster spots Diarra would be after.

However, he can find a solid role with the Legends alongside 7-foot-5 paint beast Jamarion Sharp, who will also be on the Summer League roster this year.

Here are some clips of the newest addition to Mavs' summer squad:

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

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