The wait is over and the Cooper Flagg era in Dallas has officially begun.

In a move that had been expected for months, the Mavericks selected Flagg with the first overall pick in Wednesday's NBA draft.

Flagg was the consensus top prospect, and the Mavs ultimately decided this generational talent was too good to pass up.

The transcendent 18-year-old immediately provides optimism to a scorned fanbase that had been in need of a jolt after the franchise traded away superstar and fan favourite Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in early February, less than a year after he led Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals.

The Mavericks lucked into the opportunity to select the top collegiate player in the United States after winning the draft lottery on May 12 despite just a 1.8 per cent chance of landing the top pick. They will now team Flagg with perennial All-Stars Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.

FLAGG CAPTURED!

WELCOME TO DALLAS, COOPER! @Academy // #FlaggCaptured #MFFL pic.twitter.com/NJ4RnsR6Lt

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) June 26, 2025

At 6-foot-8 and 221 pounds, Flagg can do it all. Score in a variety of ways, distribute the ball and play defence – and he has room to develop as he won’t turn 19 years old until December.

In fact, before he even stepped foot on the court as a freshman at Duke last fall, he was widely viewed as being the top prospect in the 2025 NBA draft.

He then lived up to all expectations in his lone collegiate season.

He led the Blue Devils to the Final Four and became just the fourth freshman to win the Wooden Award as the top men's college basketball player in the U.S.

With the ability to excel in all facets of the game, Flagg led Duke in all five major statistical categories – scoring (19.2), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), steals (1.8) and blocks (1.4). He also shot 38.5 per cent from 3-point range and 84.0 per cent on his free throws.

He now joins a team eager for a fresh start after a disastrous final few months of the 2024-25 season.

Following the trade of Dončić, Davis suffered a groin injury in his Dallas debut and was limited to nine games in a Mavs uniform. Irving then sustained a left ACL tear on March 3, and missed the season’s final 20 games.

The hope is Irving will return by January, and the Mavericks signed him to a $119million, three-year contract on Tuesday.

Davis also has three years remaining on his deal, so if Flagg can contribute like most believe he is capable of, the Mavericks should be poised to contend for an NBA title.

Irving was also the first overall pick of the NBA draft – back in 2011 – and also played collegiately at Duke.

Flagg is now the sixth player from Duke to be selected first overall, with Paolo Banchero the most recent in 2022 by the Orlando Magic.

With Flagg going No. 1, it ended two straight years in which an international player was drafted first – the first time that had happened.

The only other time the Mavericks drafted first overall was in 1981, when they picked Mark Aguirre out of DePaul.