Dec 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (center left) greet each other after the game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Warriors' Steph Curry praises Mavericks' Cooper Flagg after rookie's Christmas debut

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Dec 25, 2025 9:47 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, 126-116. It was the NBA Christmas debut for rookie Cooper Flagg, and he was spectacular once again, as he finished with 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists on 13/21 shooting.

Flagg became the 18th rookie in NBA history to score 25+ points on Christmas Day, but just the fifth in the last 40 years, joining Patrick Ewing (1985), LeBron James (2003), Kyle Kuzma (2017), and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (2023). Some of the older legends he joined include Wilt Chamberlain (1959), Oscar Robertson (1960), Willis Reed (1964), Pete Maravich (1970), and Adrian Dantley (1976). He was the third rookie ever, joining Robertson and Maravich, to have 25+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists.

After the game, Warriors star Stephen Curry gave a lot of praise to the rookie, who happened to be one of his former Curry Camp attendees.

"That's a true hooper. Competitor, you forget how young he is, just his presence out there on the court," Curry said. "The future is bright. I'm glad he got this experience his first year to understand what the bright lights feel like. The league is in good hands."

"The league is in good hands."

Steph shouts out Cooper Flagg for an incredible #NBAXmas debut (27 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST) pic.twitter.com/puCc8aGzaY
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2025

Steph Curry Offered Even More Praise After the Game for Cooper Flagg

Curry didn't stop with his praise for Cooper Flagg there, as he said even more in his postgame press conference.

"I saw him at my camp a couple years back, and I saw him again at the USA Select Team last summer, so it's not a surprise what he's been doing, why he's the number one pick, what he did at Duke. The future is bright," Curry reiterated. "Plays well beyond his years, and just his basketball IQ, you can tell. That's gonna be a journey you'll wanna stay locked in on, he's going to be around for a long time."

"That's gonna be a journey you'll wanna stay locked in on, he's going to be around for a long time."

Steph with even more praise for Cooper Flagg after playing against him for the first time https://t.co/ONx7RNaZFA pic.twitter.com/hKiOgpd42j
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2025

The Mavericks fell to 12-20 with the loss, as Anthony Davis went down in the second quarter with right groin spasms, and he wouldn't return to the game. That's concerning, but it also reaffirms that the Mavericks need to retool around Cooper Flagg as soon as possible.

It'll probably be hard to trade Davis as he's gotten hurt AGAIN. He already missed 14 straight games due to a calf strain, then missed another on the second night of a back-to-back as he was managing that injury. Tricking a team into giving up significant assets seems like a long shot.