Jason Kidd Makes Bold Statement on Cooper Flagg's Career After Rookie of the Year Campaign

Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd feels Cooper Flagg will someday join him in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Kidd said in a Thursday appearance on the Dan Patrick Show he feels Flagg is going to have a better run in the NBA than Kidd's own 19-year career, which was highlighted by helping lead the Mavericks to the 2011 championship.

When his credentials as a Hall of Famer were pointed out, Kidd said, "He's gonna be one too. He's special."

Kidd continued, "Just the way he carries himself on and off the floor... I think his career's going to be way better than mine."

Kidd said he first started to believe in Flagg after speaking to Stephen Curry and LeBron James, who scrimmaged with him before his freshman year at Duke during Team USA's training camp for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"They both said he was very special," Kidd said.

After the Mavericks selected Flagg at the top of the 2025 NBA draft, Kidd showed trust early during his rookie season by deploying him as the Mavericks' point guard.

Flagg later slid back to his college position of forward, although Kidd told Patrick the positional switch had helped the Mavs in "thinking ahead" past Kyrie Irving's tenure in Dallas.

The NBA Rookie of the Year finished the season having led the Mavericks with 21 points and 1.2 steals per game, also averaging 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists for a team lacking offensive firepower following Anthony Davis' deadline trade to the Washington Wizards.

Irving has yet to play with Flagg amid his recovery from ACL surgery he underwent in March 2025. Kidd will hope being able to deploy that duo for the first time next fall can help the Mavericks return to playoff contention for the first time since Luka Dončić led the team to the 2024 Finals.