Mark Cuban Compares Cooper Flagg to Dirk Nowitzki, Likes 'How Much S--t He Talks'
Former Dallas Mavericks governor Mark Cuban compared incoming rookie Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, to franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki.
"He's got a lot of Dirk in him," Cuban told reporters on Friday (2:00 mark). "What caught my attention the most is how much s--t he talks on the court. The only difference is they didn't understand what Dirk said because he said it in German. So maybe Dirk can come back and teach him a couple of words in German because he does not back down and he talks his game on the court too."
"I think his teammates are going to love it, fans are going to love it, he's going to have to talk his stuff on the court and that'll be great," he added.
The Mavericks selected Flagg after winning the 2025 draft lottery despite entering the event with a 1.8 percent chance to land the No. 1 pick.
The 18-year-old averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on 48.1/38.5/84.0 shooting splits in 37 starts during his freshman season at Duke.
Flagg is expected to immediately contribute on a Mavericks squad with postseason aspirations, a uncommon situation for a top draft choice. Dallas has experienced veterans in Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson, while Kyrie Irving is expected to return at some point during the 2025-26 season as he recovers from a torn ACL.
It's a promising sign that Flagg is already drawing comparisons to Nowitzki, the Hall of Fame forward who sits at No. 1 on the organization's all-time scoring list. The 14-time All-Star led Dallas to the playoffs in 15 of his 21 seasons with the team, winning a championship in 2011.
