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Bronny James Welcomes Cooper Flagg to NBA With Multiple Jumpers in His Face

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Borba | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 10:16 PM ET

After being taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks, Cooper Flagg officially made his NBA Summer League debut on Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

While in most cases, the top pick going up against a former No. 55 pick wouldn't be the headliner of the summer – that's not the case this year. Flagg and the Mavs are taking on the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Bronny James, the oldest son of four-time NBA MVP LeBron James.

Unlike Flagg, who is viewed as a generational talent, the younger James is still fighting to prove he belongs in the NBA. With a year of NBA basketball under his belt, and all eyes on him to see how he stacks up against Flagg, James got off to a quick start.

He started the game with a step-back from the elbow, which he hit over Flagg to make the score 2-0. After a Mavericks miss on the other end, the ball made its way to James on the very next possession out of a sideline out-of-bounds play.

With all of the confidence in the world, James squared his shoulders and drilled a three over Flagg.

The triple gives Bronny the first 5 points for LA! https://t.co/tVQOfwjgbN pic.twitter.com/r2SXzZTe90
— NBA (@NBA) July 11, 2025

Although James won't be asked to be the Lakers' primary scorer next season, it certainly doesn't hurt to see him build his confidence and be able to hit from deep consistently. By the time halftime rolled around, James was up to eight points.

As for Flagg, he also answered with some scoring of his own, racking up 10 points in the first half.

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

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