Cooper Flagg full introductory press conference (06.27.25)

Listen to the full Cooper Flagg introductory press conference as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

Hello? We good to go? All right thanks everybody for coming, really appreciate you guys for showing up. um, I, I’ll say a few things and then we’ll get to the questions. Uh, I mean, what an amazing day for the fans of Dallas, for the city of Dallas, and then also for the franchise, uh, Kelly, Ralph, um, I wanna commend you on the job you’ve done with Cooper, not only putting the ball in his hands, but, uh, the person that you’ve raised, everybody that I talked to, whether it’s the coach. Um, he talks about when I can coach my best player hard my job’s easy, um, so Jay Kidd, you can coach him hard, uh, his teammates, the first thing they say is he’s the most competitive, he’s the best team I I ever had, uh, the people that are around the team, the, the support staff, like he’s not entitled, he just wants to be part of the group. When you talk about building the championship culture and you talk about winners, those are the things that are, are made of and so just. I want to commend you on the job you’ve done, uh, because he’s, he’s more than just a basketball player, and that’s why he’s so special. Uh, and with that, I opened up the questions. Welcome to Dallas Cooper. We’re happy you’re here. First question, you’re a versatile two-way threat. If you had to pick, would you rather make a big block or posterize someone with the dunk? Oh great question, great question. Um. That’s a good question. I think, uh, maybe a dunk, maybe a post sizes dunk. Um, I feel like, you know, there’s a lot of energy that that goes with a play like that. All right. Thank you. Cooper, Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, um, welcome to Dallas. Um, shortly after the Mavericks got the number one pick, there was a video that surfaced of you 1314 years old in the Mavericks shirt. Um, could you just take us, give us the context behind that moment, that decision to wear that shirt, and what you know about the franchise growing up in May? Uh, yeah, I mean, I was, I think I was 13 years old, um, you know, I had a good, a really good friend who is a diehard Mavericks fan, and, um, he’s a little older than me and he had kind of outgrown some of his clothes, so he, um, you know, let them, let them down to me and at the time, you know, you’re just wearing what you can, you know, going through wearing clothes and I love basketball and so I just put it on and and went for my workout. Then um do you know the summer league plan for you at all? I know it’s still pretty early but um yesterday they announced that the Mavericks are gonna be playing the Lakers just wanted to know if you had any plans. Uh, I’m not exactly sure on a plan. I’m planning on playing, um, but yeah, I’m not sure on any sort of plan. I don’t think we’ve had any of those conversations yet. Uh, you seem so excited to see Kniel and Maliwatch both get drafted. What does the success of your teammates mean to you and how are you gonna take that to the NBA? Absolutely I think it means everything to me, um, especially those two guys, um, the, they’re the greatest teammates, the greatest people, you know, that I’ve had the privilege of spending time with. Um, Cam was my roommate all year and then come on, me and him have a really special bond, um, on and off the court. So I think just being able to see that for them was really special for me. um, they mean a lot to me and I think it’s just such a dream come true for all of us that, um, it was just really exciting for me. Tim McMahon, ESPN, um, there’s a statue of Dirk outside the arena. Obviously he was the face of this franchise for a long time. He kind of handed the baton to Luca, the anticipations he would have been the face for a long time. Plans changed. There’s now that anticipation for you. How do you feel about kind of that, that lineage, um, and, and the responsibility that comes with those sort of expectations? Yeah, I mean, I’m, I’m coming in just trying to learn and trying to get better every single day um and I think if I can do that to the best of my ability I think expectations and and pressures that other people, you know, will put on me and our team that will kind of work itself out so you know I’m just trying to come in and be the best that I can be and and just win at the highest level. Hey Cooper, uh, Christian Clark with the athletic, um, you know, a lot of, lot of number one picks, uh, you know, they’re joining situations where it’s gonna, it’s gonna take a while to be competitive. What are your thoughts on coming into a situation where, you know, they got a lot of, you know, talent and, and veteran pieces already on the roster and kind of built to compete right now. Yeah, um, I think it’s a blessing, um, like you said, a lot of people in this position or the situation. Aren’t, you know, granted this opportunity, so I just feel really blessed, um, and grateful for, for the situation I’ve been given, and I’m just looking forward to being a sponge, you know, just getting down here, um, excited to just learn, um, soak it all in and learn from the guys that are older and have been through it all before. Cooper, Joy started with clutch points over here. Um, we talked to Paige the other day, Paige Beckers, and she said that she gave you a hard time for going to Duke and at UConn. wanna get your thoughts on that. And then also just her, her overall game. What do you think about her game with her playing in Dallas as well? Yeah, I mean, she’s great. Um, obviously I went on a visit to UConn and you know I was able to meet her when I was on my visit and talk a little bit. Um, she’s a great person. Um, she’s had an incredible career so far. Um, but I think it’s funny, uh, I mean, that’s just kinda how that, you know, back and forth college stuff goes, so I think it’s, it’s funny, but, um, yeah, she’s a great player, um, she’s had a great career and she’s a great person. Skyler Dixon with the AP, uh, Cooper, this is quite the scene. The hoopla is only gonna probably go up from here. How does being in a program like Duke, um, a storied program like that help you sort of deal with what you, what this is today and what you’re gonna face going forward? Yeah, I think, um, you know, being, being able to go to Duke and be in that spotlight, um, it’s kind of good preparation, um, and then even nowadays with NIL era and stuff like that. Um, college kids are kinda under a bigger microscope than ever, um, so I think it’s a great preparation honestly for, for me to kinda come to the next level and I’ve had a year to kind of deal with a lot of that stuff in the media and all that, that different stuff. So I think it’s just great for me to kinda have that year of preparation. Cooper Sam Gannon Fox for congratulations. I know you’re a fan of the lobster roll, but now coming to Dallas, are you ready to embrace the Texas barbecue and Mexican food scene? For sure. I love, I love Mexican. I love um barbecue, so I’m excited to, you know, find some, some good spots. Hey Cooper, Landon Thomas, Mavs fans for life. Um, not a lot of number one picks have the luxury of playing with future Hall of Famers when you have Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis. What excites you about that? Yeah, I think like I said earlier, just being able to, to be a sponge, um, those guys have so much knowledge, um, they’ve they’ve been through so much and they have so much experience that, um, it’s just gonna be an incredible opportunity for me to learn um and grow under them. Cooper, uh, Brad Townsend Dallas Morning News, uh, fans and media alike have been trying to pencil your pencil you into the lineup, unsure whether guard forward. What do you primarily see yourself playing, you know, after talking to, uh, Jason? Um, I think, uh, it’s a versatile position, you know, doing a lot of different things, um, I think, you know, with the team looking at the roster we can play a really good brand of positionless basketball, um, with a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things, so I think that would be one of, you know, the biggest strengths, and I think just trying to play to that and just doing whatever I can to help the team win. Jason, Eddie Sefko and Maths.com, uh. You’ve been and uh have been around a lot of young uh talented players uh how do you go about molding Cooper and and bringing him along to uh become the, the, the star that everybody thinks he will be? Yeah, I think, um, just from past experiences, uh, being in this seat, you know, being one, But just sitting here listening to him, is it incredible? I mean, we’re talking about an 18 year old who has all the right answers, um, and he’s talking about working out after this, um, but you know, when you talk about, um, his gift, um, he’s a basketball player and, uh, you, he’s a winner and, uh, I thought he answered the question about position perfectly, um, because I don’t look at the position. You know, I, I want to put him in the, at the point guard. I wanna make him uncomfortable, um, and see how he reacts, um, being able to run the show, um, being able to play the 2, play the 3, he’s, he’s comfortable playing that, um, but we want to push, um, and I think, uh, he, he’s gonna respond in a positive way, um, it’s all right to fail. It’s all right to turn the ball over. We’ve talked about that, um. You know, just understanding the guys that I’ve been around that have been young from Giannis, giving him the ball and he failed, um, but he, he wanted to come back and have the ball. So I’m excited about giving him the ball against the Lakers and see what happens. Let’s get it started right off the bat. Um. But you know I think um just his poise he’s gonna be successful for a long time he likes to work he’s not afraid to work and he comes from a great family so I’m I’m very blessed and the Mavs are very blessed to have him uh a part of the family. Cooper Dorothy Gentry, iMesssenger Media. Two fun questions for you. Who’s on your Mount Rushmore or NBA and WNBA players, and what’s your favorite basketball movie and why? Um, my favorite basketball movie is Hoosiers. Um, you know, that was one of my favorite movies growing up. I watched it hundreds of times. Um, my Mount Rushmore of NBA players, I would say. Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, um, LeBron, and probably Kobe. And then WNBA, um, Candace Parker, um. Brittney Griner, um. I think Asia Wilson is on there and then. Um, I might put Kaylyn Clark on there just cause, um, she’s changed the game so much and is heading in the right direction and, um, I just love what she’s been able to do. In the back New Scruggs, NBC 5, question for you, Jason, um, having sat in that seat before when you were drafted number 2 overall, knowing the expectations that the fan base has and representing hope, what’s the one bit of advice that you could give Cooper that maybe you didn’t have when you first came to town with all the hope and hype being a number one pick? Yeah, I think um. He’s, he brought it up earlier. He’s very lucky to have veterans, future Hall of Famers, um, when you talk about, um, Kai and Clay and then AD, um, just understanding the vets are gonna, you know, protect him and help him, um. And they’re gonna push him. When I was drafted, we were the maybe the youngest team, um, when you talk about Jimmy and Jamal, we just didn’t have, um, a lot of vets. I know more Wiley’s here, um, no, no disrespect, he was a vet. Um, but we didn’t have future Hall of Famers. Um, so I think when you, when he’s stepping into this situation, there’s no better situation for him to learn, um, the game, um, on and off the floor. Uh, Jonah Javad here with uh WFAA Cooper, your parents are front row and have been an integral part of your journey, I’m sure. Was there a moment growing up in childhood that you remember when they kind of really fostered your love for the game? Um, as soon as I can remember, uh, I always had a ball in my hands. Um, as soon as I was able to shoot outside, we had an outdoor hoop, you know, mom, dad outside playing pig with us, shooting around with us, just kind of having the ball in our hands at a really young age. So, um, they’re definitely, you know, um, the people that did that, and, you know, I’m very thankful that they did. Uh, Cooper Lawrence Dow of Fort Worth Star Telegram, you chose the number 32. Can you talk about what went behind that church of of Jersey number? Yeah, so 32 has always been my number. Um, I wore it as a little kid, wore it in middle school, high school, um, last year, obviously is retired for, um, Christian Layner, so I wasn’t able to wear it, but, um, just excited to, to get back to my number. Cooper, Faith Knight with D210 Sports, being the second youngest, um, draft number one pick overall behind LeBron James, what advantage do you feel you possess that has helped you get to this point in your career? Um, I think just having incredible people around me, um, I have a really good support system and, um, a group of people around me that have, you know, helped me make decisions and things like that, um, starting with my parents and my brothers, um, have been with me every step of the way and kinda helped me to get to where I am in every way. So I think just having incredible people around me is really the biggest thing that’s helped me to get to where I am. Abbie Jones. Oh, Abby Jones, DLS Sports Cooper, welcome to Dallas and congratulations. This is a two part for Cooper and Jason. Your team, uh, your experience with Team USA and playing there, you know, how is that kind of contributed to how you’re going to transition into the NBA and then Jason, you know, with your experience with Team USA as well and the Olympic staff, um, as a player and now a head coach, how are you able to, you know, manage Cooper and meet him there? Yeah, I think that experience was, you know, really important for me. It was such a good learning experience for me to just be able to go out there and share the court with 1213 Hall of Fame caliber players. So I think it was just incredible for me to get on the court, get comfortable, and see what that was like. So I think that will help me make this transition and just being confident in myself. Hey Cooper, Pat Donny with NBC here in Dallas. Welcome to Dallas here in the middle. Uh, everyone around you talks about your competitiveness and that you’ve always been driven by being great from a young age. I’m curious what is it that drives you and what are your expectations when it comes to now your NBA career to not make this the highlight of your career getting to the NBA being the number one pick. No, no, don’t, don’t forget that question. Go ahead. Yeah, I think um. The competitiveness, I think it just started from a young age, um, playing with my brothers, playing with my mom in the driveway, um, you know, fostering that competitive spirit and just loving to win. I think that’s, you know, a really big part of it is just loving to win and um that’s why I play the game. I play to win, um, play to compete, play play to play really hard, um, and so those are the reasons that I love the game and I fell in love with the game and I think that’s what’s kind of created that competitive spirit and drive. Noah Weber from the Smoking Cuban. Cooper, welcome to Dallas. This is a question for both you and Coach Kidd. Cooper, from your conversation so far with your head coach and your general manager, what do you think that Maverick’s culture is and how can you add to that and Coach Kidd with how you know Cooper so far? how do you think that he can add to Map’s culture and what y’all have built? Yeah, I think obviously, um, some that’s talked a lot about is, you know, being a two-way guy, um, the culture of playing both sides of the ball, um, playing really hard, making the right plays all the time, so I think that’s something I’m able to do, you know, at a high level just make the right plays and play both sides of the ball. I, I think when you talk about the culture about winning, uh, as he’s just brought up, you know, he’s gonna do whatever it takes to win. Uh, he might have 10 points one night and, and 2 steals, but just understanding that it’s all about the Ws and so the culture here in in Mavs land is, is about winning and it’s about winning a championship. Cooper, uh, Grant Ase from DialSoops Journal.com, uh, what do you feel like you improved the most during your season at Duke and what are some of the focuses in your development right now as you put in reps? Yeah, I think, um, just getting comfortable with the ball in my hands, um, Coach Shy really trusted me with that, um, right away, and you know I had to go through some mistakes, um, some trials and tribulations and just figure it out, um, but Coach Shy never went away from me, never stopped trusting me, and I think that that’s kind of what it helps to just really get me comfortable throughout the year and get really efficient. Uh, Michelle Montagne, WFAA, this one’s for Nico, um. Obviously a great draft, but there was a consensus number one in this one. How does having Cooper change the trajectory of the franchise and then for Jason, um, what’s the best part of getting to coach a player like this who’s just 18 years old? So, Michelle, I think, I think how it changes its trajectory, uh, you know, we’re in win now mode and so he adds to that, um, but he’s also the future of the franchise. So I think you get, you get two in one, so to speak. So, um, it’s, it’s, you know, a perfect storm for us. To be able to coach, um, the number one pick, I think we’re all blessed and excited, um, and so, um, to have the opportunity to coach a young man like this, um, is exciting and, uh, going to the drawing board, as I said, trying to get him to be uncomfortable quickly, um, to see how he handles it and that’s, you know, hopefully running the point guard for us, um, and put him in different situations, but, um, I’m excited, um, to have someone like this to help us win. Um, Rasha Miller, Dallas Weekly. Um, of course you brought up Christian Laettner earlier. Just talk about him and just the former and current Mavericks that have played at Duke, just, you know, just what they mean to you and also you being part of the new generation with your brothers that you just played with. Yeah, I think um it’s incredible uh obviously starting with Duke, you know, the, the path, and I look at that, looked at past players and that went into my recruitment obviously watching. Tatum and Paulo and Zion and some of those guys that kinda um had the hype and went through it and went to Duke and were able to develop and uh get to the next level um that was huge for me and I think obviously having you know a bunch of people from the Brotherhood, you know, here Kyrie um Dli like that’s just huge connections that can help me to, you know, be comfortable and have those connections already built. Sean Giggy, WFA, uh, Cooper, you look just to last week, you see the Thunder, the 2nd youngest team to win an NBA championship. Pacers also one of the youngest teams in the league. You’re about to help some kids with basketball after this, you’re arguably closer in age to the kids you’re about to help than many of your teammates. How do you think your youth is going to to help a team like this? And do you also think they’re what some of the drawbacks are to being so young? Um, I’m not sure how you know my age will play into it, but I’m just excited to bring my my game to the table and just, you know, bring the energy um both sides of the ball and just, you know, try to impact winning in a lot of different ways um I don’t really know what the hardest part will be um I guess we’ll find out pretty soon. Hey Cooper, uh, Christian Clark here with the athletic. I think you were 4 years old when Kyrie got drafted 51 AD. I was just curious. I mean, do you, do you remember anything from those guys’ college careers? Like, do you have any memories or anything like that? No, no, no, I didn’t watch them in college at all, but you know, growing up I got to see him, you know, shine and, you know, playing in the league a lot, and those are the two guys that I was able to watch a lot of growing up. This is a question for Cooper right here. So you grew up with a twin brother. Um, I’d like to hear, what would you say that your favorite basketball stories with him and how has he pushed you to become the best player that you are today? Um, I would say, you know, some of my favorite stories would just be, you know, competing and playing in the driveway, um, you know, countless times, thousands of hours just spent competing, playing one on one against each other. You know, I’ll say over half the time it ending in a fist fight, um, and somebody running inside and, you know, going, going to their room, but I think just those memories of, you know, being kids and just enjoying to compete and play against each other, you know, during the summer and whatnot outside at our house. Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News. Cooper, when you look back at your rookie rookie season a year from now, what do you hope people say about you? Um, I would say just they would, they would talk about how, um, how they able to impact the game. Uh, I wanna be a really high impact player and just impact winning at a really high level. Cooper, Abby Jones, DLS Sports, uh, Jason Kidd talks about your work ethic and wanting you to be in those uncomfortable situations. What are you looking forward to about your first season in the league and maybe the uncomfortable situations he’s kind of talking about how you can grow and expand in your game. Yeah, I think that’s exactly what I would say just learning, growing, and, and getting better through all the challenges and um obstacles that are gonna present themselves um just looking forward to um going through the season and and learning, um, but I mean it’s, it’s something that Coach Shier talked a lot about last year, um, the obstacle is the way, um, and, and not, you know, hiding from anything, um, there’s gonna be a lot of challenges, so just being ready to, you know, face challenges and, and overcome them. Ron Murray K104, this right here. This question for Coach Kidd and Cooper. Coach Kidd, you see how the NBA is evolving with different ball handlers, not necessarily the pure point guard era. So just your thoughts on what you’d like to see from Cooper going into this and Cooper, you know, what do you like to do off the court, like when it’s not strictly basketball? Yeah, I think, uh, being able to have Cooper, he can handle the ball as he, he’s brought up, um, and so. Um, as we go forward, um, this summer and throughout the season is to try to get the ball in his hands as much as possible so they become comfortable, uh, running our offense. Um, and then when you have multiple guys out there that can dribble and pass, it just makes the game simple and easy. Cooper, over here, Leslie McCaslin with the Dallas Mavericks. Curious, obviously, you didn’t get to watch him play when you were younger, but what do you know about your head coach’s playing career, if anything? It was it was in black and white, so definitely didn’t see it. No, I mean. I didn’t get to watch it a ton. Um, I’m gonna have to freshen up, you know, do my research, um, but I think, you know, everybody talks about how legendary of a player he was, um, so I think, you know, I have to watch some more and figure that out, but um, he was a killer, so. Thank you. A winner, a winner, winner. Thank you. Ro Harris, CBS Texas. Cooper over here, right this way. So talk a little bit more about the brotherhood and your relationship with the Live. Could you go into that a little bit deeper? Yeah, I think, um, Derek came back during last year, um, when we were, you know, in the preseason part of everything and, you know, just being. Being around, um, he was present, uh, we were able to talk to him, hang out with him on and off the course, so I think it was really cool, you know, just to meet him and, um, kind of build a relationship with him. He’s a really, really cool guy so I’m just excited to continue to build a relationship with him and be able to share the court with him as well. Nico Harrison, Ni Scruggs here, Channel 5, drafting Cooper Flag. Obviously fans have been happy. They’re buying the jerseys. Do you think this helps heal part of the, your relationship and the fans after everything this past season? Yeah, I think so. I think, uh, I think it, I think it will help, um, most importantly, I think it just, you know, we’re, we’re in win now mode and we have a really good team and Cooper adds to that. So I think the fans finally start to see the vision. Um, this question is for both Nico and Coach Kid. I’m just curious, when did you ever watch or see Cooper play in person and what were just your initial impressions of him? When I first watched them play, uh, my first impressions were, wow, it’d be great to have the number one pick. Uh, but no, just the way, I mean, he impacted the game on both sides of the of the ball, uh, and he played super hard, uh, and so that was, that was my initial, um, reaction and again, you know, us not thinking we would have a chance to draft him. I didn’t put too much stock into it. It was more of a, a dream. Cooper, you’ve played at a lot of different areas and environments, the toughest competition. We’ve seen footage online that you’ve played at Rucker Park, the street ball capital of the world in New York. What are your thoughts about how well you played there, your personal thoughts? Um, I mean, I think just competing, um, you know, some of those events sometimes, um, you get away from, you know, real basketball and, and real competition, but I think just being myself competing at a high level and just trying to win. Cooper, uh, Brad Towns from the Dallas Morning News again, uh, I’m. I’m sure in the last 48 hours there’s been a lot of wow moments. I, I really am a pro walking across the stage. Uh, I wondered about it looked like you had pretty good accommodations on your flight here and I was wondering if you could just describe that in your impressions of, uh, Patrick Dumont. Um, yeah, I mean, it’s been incredible like you said, it’s been really shocking, um, you know, that’s a real feeling still, um, just being here, you know, being in these moments, but I think, um, it’s, it’s been incredible, and I think, you know, being able to meet, uh, Patrick and his family was incredible. Um, they have an incredible family, so I’m just looking forward to, you know, continuing to build a relationship with them. Dorothy Gentry, I messenger Media right down here again, Cooper. Um, 2 more fun questions for you. What’s on your playlist? What kind of music do you listen to? 1, and then 3 things that you cannot live without. Um, as far as music goes, I’m not huge into music, um, never on the ox, so it’s whatever, you know, whoever I’m with, my teammates, whatever they wanna listen to, uh, listen to whatever, um, and three things I can’t live without, I would say golf, um, basketball, and my family. Just 2 more questions. Over here, yeah, Jonah Java WFA, um, actually two parter now that you bring up golf. One, what’s your handicap and are you looking forward to playing to the with the two guys next to you? And two, what have you known about Texas and maybe the DFW area, whether it’s from talking to D Live or Kyrie or your high school teammate Lee McNeely’s from Richardson. Yeah, so I think I’m around a 1314 handicap, um, and I’m looking forward to playing them as long as they’ll give me some strokes, um, so that is part of that and then I would say, um, as far as the area, you know, obviously like you said, my, my old teammate Liam, um, you know, it was from this area and I was able to visit him a little bit and I’ve been been through the area a little bit but it’s an incredible area it’s really beautiful. I’m excited to learn the city a little bit more. Cooper here in the back, 33 Sports Daniel Steve. Jonah kind of took the, uh, the Thunder with the, the golf question, but I’m curious, you are in Dallas, Scotty Scheffler, Will Zalatoriss, Bryson DeChambeau, perhaps if you get a chance to play with them, maybe you can take these guys sitting next to you. You planning on playing with some of the, uh, big stars in golf? Um, I don’t know if I’m good enough for that, um, but that would, that would be an incredible experience for sure. All right, thank you everyone for joining us. Um, one more thing, we’re gonna do pictures. I OK. And