Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Shaquille O'Neal looks on before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images David Butler II-Imagn Images

NBA legend makes bizarre Cooper Flagg comparison to Mavericks icon

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Keenan Womack | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 8:00 AM ET

As the NBA Draft approaches, the off-the-wall player comparisons for Cooper Flagg continue to pour in. Parallels to Kawhi Leonard, Andrei Kirilenko, Pascal Siakam, and Kevin Garnett aside, there is no shortage of strange (and often inaccurate) comps thrown out for Flagg's play style.

Now, player likenesses are not easy to draw. In general, many are inaccurate due to the ever-changing nature of the game and what teams value in a prospect. Despite this, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal had a very bizarre evaluation on Flagg's potential as a player at the next level.

"He's a great all-around player. I don't want to put too much pressure on him, but a little baby Dirk [Nowitzki]? Could be. When Dirk came in, Dirk was raw like that. He just worked on his game and trained and got on the trails and got with management, and became a great player," said the Hall-of-Famer.

Dallas connection aside, what do Cooper Flagg and Dirk Nowitzki have in common? Not much as far as play style goes: Flagg is a two-way disruptive force whose primary strength lies in his defensive instincts and athleticism to back up his mentality, while Nowitzki's defense was questioned throughout his entire career. Though the noise died down upon winning the 2011 NBA Title, he was viewed as "soft" up until that point, even after his 2007 MVP.

Flagg is also not a player that could be considered "raw" as O'Neal describes. In fact, he's extremely polished and has an exact, defined role on both sides of the ball. He's as close to a finished product as a rookie can be, versus Nowitzki, whose offense was a known commodity, but had question marks about the opposite end of the floor that followed him throughout his years as a pro.

While O'Neal was clearly being complimentary, it's clear that he has not watched much of Flagg at all given his description of the Duke star's game. In general, pundits should probably lay off of the constant comparisons, and allow Cooper Flagg to be Cooper Flagg.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: