There’s a new king in the wings who is waiting to be crowned the No. 1 pick. And it is none other than Duke sensation Cooper Flagg. After beating the 1.8% lottery odds, the Dallas Mavericks landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and are likely to take away the Blue Devils’ man.
With brilliant defensive instincts and a growing offensive game, he might just be the missing piece for a Mavericks squad still recovering from the Luka Doncic era.
Flagg under Anthony Davis, feeding off Kyrie Irving, and bringing new life to the Mavericks sounds like a hoops dream. But for now, it’s all potential and mock drafts. As draft day approaches, an old clip from 2023 has suddenly taken over X, and it has reminded the Flagg fandom where the upward journey began.
Let’s go back in time to decode some iconicity.
Before the NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg’s Iconic LeBron James Encounter Steals Spotlight Again
It’s July 2023. South Carolina’s Riverview Park Activities Center is packed wall to wall. The annual Nike EYBL Peach Jam is on. On the sidelines, LeBron James is coaching his son, Bryce. And on the court, Flagg, a teenage boy from Maine, is dunking over and over again. And then came the iconic moment.
A clip that has now been posted by NBA Future Stars Now showed the exact moment James and Flagg shared a look. The post was captioned, “LEBRON JAMES x COOPER FLAGG. Throwback to this moment at 2023 Peach Jam!”
That moment, simple yet symbolic, sent basketball Twitter into a frenzy again.
LEBRON JAMES x COOPER FLAGG 🙌
Throwback to this moment at 2023 Peach Jam! pic.twitter.com/GPD8YJYi67
— NBA Future Starts Now (@nbafuturenow) June 9, 2025
It is not surprising, considering that anybody who saw Flagg that summer would know that he was different. Different enough to reclassify a year early. And different enough that he dropped 38 points, 16 boards, and 12 blocks in one Peach Jam game.
Then followed it up with 37, 12, and 10. So it is no surprise that Duke played its cards right to land him.
As the Duke chapter ends, a new one is unfolding for Flagg. The viral clip isn’t just nostalgia. It is prophecy because the next time James and Flagg lock eyes, it might be from opposite ends of an NBA court. The draft looms, and Dallas is already dreaming.
Flagg just visited the Mavericks, met with General Manager Nico Harrison, and toured a franchise aching for a reset. Dallas doesn’t seem like it is really entertaining other prospects. Flagg isn’t either.
However, the Mavericks have a workout on June 17 with Flagg. And unless a sudden miracle happens, Flagg is likely the No. 1 pick.
Flagg is coming off a historic season at Duke, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four. And in the background of all that noise, fans are still hitting replay on that Peach Jam clip, watching the moment James sized up the kid who might one day challenge his legacy.
KEEP READING: Cooper Flagg Hits NYC in Bold New Balance Campaign Ahead of NBA Draft
As Dallas fans heal from Doncic’s departure, Flagg offers something they haven’t had in a long time: hope. If the Mavs do take him at No. 1, they’re not just drafting a player. They’re getting a movement. And thanks to that moment with James, the world has seen it coming.
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