Top talent Cooper Flagg has been voted the NBA’s best new player.
The 19-year-old Dallas Mavericks forward, selected first in the last draft, prevailed in the election for “Rookie of the Year 2026” despite his team’s disappointing sporting record. The North American professional basketball league announced this on Monday (04/28/206).
Averaged 21 points and almost seven rebounds
Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game in his first NBA season. He led the Mavericks in all four categories. However, Dallas only won 26 games this season and clearly missed the play-offs.
The last time a rookie had such statistical dominance within his team was in 1985, when Michael Jordan led these values with the Chicago Bulls.
Cracked the 50 mark against Orlando
Flagg’s scoring performances were particularly spectacular: earlier this month, he scored 51 points in a win against Orlando, becoming the youngest player in NBA history with a 50-point game. In total, he managed four games with at least 40 points – more than any rookie since Allen Iverson in the 1996/97 season.
Flagg is the third player from the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki’s former club, to receive the award after Jason Kidd (1995) and Luka Doncic (2019). Also on the ballot were Philadelphia’s VJ Edgecombe and Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel.
