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Duke Makes Historic Announcement After Cooper Flagg Is Drafted No. 1 Overall

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 9:33 PM ET

As expected, the Dallas Mavericks selected Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in Wednesday night’s NBA draft, making him just the second player from Maine ever to be drafted.

Flagg capped off a historic freshman season by leading Duke to 35 wins, ACC regular season and tournament titles, and a Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament. He also led the team in every major statistical category, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game.

With his selection, Flagg becomes the third Duke player to be taken No. 1 overall since 2019. Following the pick, the program announced that Flagg is now the sixth player in school history to be drafted first overall — the most of any college program. Kentucky ranks second with three.

"TOP 2 NOT 2 #LeagueDevils," Duke posted.

TOP 2 NOT 2 #LeagueDevils pic.twitter.com/9XpJ5czNch
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) June 26, 2025

Flagg joins an elite group of Duke players to be selected No. 1 overall, including Art Heyman (1963), Elton Brand (1999), Kyrie Irving (2011), Zion Williamson (2019), and Paolo Banchero (2022).

He’ll now have the opportunity to team up with Irving in Dallas, as Kyrie signed an extension with the Mavericks on Tuesday while rehabbing from the ACL injury he suffered this past season.

Flagg had long been projected as the top pick in this class—even before his freshman season at Duke began—but still managed to exceed the immense expectations placed on him.

Now, he joins a Mavericks team built to win immediately. While he'll have time to learn from the veterans around him — including Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and Irving — Flagg is expected to be the face of the franchise for years to come.

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

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