LOS ANGELES — When the Dallas Mavericks came to LA for a tough back-to-back against the Lakers and Clippers, rookie Cooper Flagg used the visit to introduce himself to Hollywood.
While the Mavs managed only a split — lost to the Lakers and beat the Clippers — Flagg turned out to be a big winner by ripping through the pages of NBA history.
In Dallas’ 129-119 defeat to the purple-and-gold last November 28, Flagg carded 11 assists and became the youngest player at 18 years and 343 days to reach double-digit assists. The 11 dimes broke a 22-year-old record previously held by LeBron James.
On November 19, in the Mavs’ 114-110 escape over the Clippers, Flagg dropped 35 points to become the youngest player in NBA history (18 years and 344 days) to score 35-plus in a game. He also established a Mavs record.
Describing breaking James’ records as an “honor,” Flagg told reporters that he was looking to score more to help his team.
“Being aggressive right now is obviously right for me,” said the No.1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft last June.
Averaging 17.1points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, Flagg is making a strong case for the Rookie of the Year plum won last season by Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs.
If Flagg were to win the coveted ROY, he’d have to separate himself from Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets who is averaging 18.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per outing.
