Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg sends motivational message after winning Rookie of the Year

The Dallas Mavericks’ future came into sharper focus after rookie Cooper Flagg capped a standout debut season to claim the 2025–26 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year award. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft delivered one of the most complete rookie campaigns in recent memory and closed it with a message rooted in effort and daily accountability.

The former Duke product secured the award on Monday after leading all qualified rookies in scoring. Across 70 starts, he averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game, providing the Mavericks with consistent production on both ends of the floor.

Dallas leaned heavily on Flagg throughout the season, and he responded with historic versatility. He led the team in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals, joining only Michael Jordan as the other rookie since 1973–74 to accomplish this.

The NBA shared a clip on X, formerly Twitter, displaying Flagg’s reaction while he conveyed his message for the upcoming 2026 rookie class following the announcement during league coverage on Monday.

“Just go out there every night and play as hard as you can.”