Cooper Flagg made his professional debut Thursday night in the NBA Summer League and celebrated an 87-85 win over Bronny James and the Lakers.
— Cooper Flagg made his professional debut Thursday night in the NBA summer league and celebrated an 87-85 win over Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Flagg finished with 10 points on 5-for-21 shooting, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range. He also had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Though Flagg struggled at times to find his rhythm, there were flashes as to why he was drafted No. 1 last month, doing plenty of little things that helped the Mavericks seal the win, including a key block near the end of the game.
Flagg swatted DJ Steward’s attempt with 1:10 left in the game, and Ryan Nembhard made a 3-pointer at the other end to give Dallas the 87-85 lead.
Flagg strolled into UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center at 4:17 p.m. on Thursday, wearing Dallas Mavericks gear, bright white New Balance shoes, and an emotionless look on his face as he passed through security.
Roughly 45 minutes later, he wore the same stone-cold face as he came out for warmups shortly after 5 p.m.
His fans more than made up for it with plenty of energy, electrifying the jam-packed arena that cheered loudest when he was announced as a starter in his first summer league game.
