Jul 12, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) looks on against the San Antonio Spurs in the second quarter of their game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Ex-Mavericks' bold LeBron James comparison for Cooper Flagg

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 9:30 AM ET

Dallas Mavericks star rookie Cooper Flagg has garnered a lot of strong NBA comparisons as he enters the league. A lot of his draft comparisons ranged from Scottie Pippen to Andrei Kirilenko, as his two-way versatility projects as a great defender at the next level.

However, a few people have compared Flagg to one of the game's greatest of all time: LeBron James. The latest to do so was former Maverick Jim Jackson.

“I think (Flagg’s) makeup is kind of like LeBron from the perspective of playmaking, even though he can dominate the game from scoring,” Jackson told Dwain Price of Mavs.com. “The footwork, the shooting, all the attributes you look at a high-level player, he has it.

“But I just think his ability to connect with his teammates and be the ultimate team player is kind of what separated him and why he’ll be an outstanding fit with the Mavericks.”

Jackson was the 4th overall pick by the Mavericks in the 1992 NBA Draft out of Ohio State, and he had a few productive seasons in Dallas before he was traded to the New Jersey Nets in the 1996-97 season, including scoring 25.7 PPG in the 1995-95 season, Jason Kidd's first with the team.

Since retiring from the NBA, Jackson has gotten into broadcasting for FOX and even called a few of Cooper Flagg's games last season at Duke. He came away impressed with the young wing and believes he has a very promising future in the NBA.

Another LeBron James Comparison for Cooper Flagg

Jim Jackson isn't the only one to give a LeBron James comparison to Cooper Flagg. Brian Scalabrine, who many attribute with helping get Cooper Flagg's name out there, things that Flagg has the same mental processing as LeBron James.

“He’s a supercomputer,” Scalabrine told SI's Chris Mannix. “Whatever you tell him, he’ll master in 24 hours. Just picture that for one second. Think about the trajectory of a player that you could tell something one day, and he figures it out the next. Chris Paul, LeBron James, those are the guys with minds like that. He’s as smart as any player I’ve ever been around. His basketball IQ is off the charts.”

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

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