Cooper Flagg fulfills his NBA destiny as Mavericks No. 1 pick

There was little drama or intrigue surrounding the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, with Cooper Flagg going wire-to-wire in practically every prediction for the past year until he finally was selected Wednesday night by the Mavericks. In having his name called first by NBA commissioner Adam Silver at Barclays Center, the freshman forward became the sixth player from Duke to be tabbed at No.1, which is twice as many as any other NCAA program in league history. Four of those six have come in the past 15 years, all of whom are presently in the NBA, with Flagg joining Kyrie Irving (2011) in Dallas.

Former top picks Zion Williamson (2019, Pelicans) and Paolo Banchero (2022, Magic) also played for the Blue Devils. “It’s unreal.That’s the word I’ll use to describe how I’m feeling,” Flagg, the consensus NCAA national player of the year, said earlier this week in anticipation of his big moment.

“I don’t know if it’s all set in yet and whatnot, but I’m just trying to enjoy it … and really just soak it all in. “I think a quote my mom likes to say a lot, if you’re the best player in the gym then you need to find a new gym.… I felt it was time for me to kind of get to a new environment and push myself to higher levels.” Kentucky is the only other college basketball program with even three No.

1 overall picks, and they all came within a six-year span — John Wall, Anthony Davis and current Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns — between 2010-15. The 18-year-old Flagg will get his NBA career started alongside Davis and Irving — and presumably head coach Jason Kidd, whom the Knicks have expressed interest in hiring as Tom Thibodeau’s replacement — in Dallas, which missed the playoffs after dealing franchise superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers on Feb.1. “I wouldn’t look at anything like that as pressure to [replace Doncic] if it goes that way,” Flagg added about his selection by Dallas.

“Whatever situation I go into, I’m just g...