By Mike Curtis
Staff Writer
Dallas Morning News
In the end, the Rookie of the Year race was similar to that of the tortoise and the hare.
Despite his status as the underdog for majority of the season, Cooper Flagg made up ground on the Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel to be named the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year.
The 19-year-old forward was officially announced as the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy winner Monday, becoming the third Mavericks player to win the award after Luka Doncic in 2019 and Jason Kidd in 1995, who shared the award with Grant Hill.
In the second-closest Rookie of the Year race since the 2002-03 season, Flagg received 56 first-place votes (412 points) from a global media panel of 100 voters. Knueppel, his college roommate at Duke, finished second with 44 first-place votes (386 points), and Philadelphia’s VJ Edgecombe of Baylor was third with 96 points.
“It’s surreal. It’s pretty cool,” Flagg said during an interview on NBC after the announcement. “That’s obviously the award that all rookies come into their first year and are searching out and wanting to get that recognition.”
Flagg, the national college player of the year at Duke and the No. 1 overall draft pick last year, was as impactful as advertised during a catastrophic season in Dallas.
Despite being the primary Maverick at the top of opposing teams’ scouting reports, the 19-year-old averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and nearly 1.0 block in 70 games. He and Michael Jordan are the only rookies since the 1973-74 season to lead their teams in total points, rebounds, assists and steals.
Knueppel averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists, and Edgecombe averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2.
Flagg said during the broadcast he kept up with Knueppel’s rookie season not so much because of the competition, but because of their friendship.
“I was watching Kon just because that’s one of my brothers,” he said. “We have such a good connection, and we’re gonna be there for each other for the rest of our lives.”
The primary knock against Flagg was the Mavericks’ 26-56 record. Dallas suffered a 13-game decline from the previous season and had its worst record since the 2017-18 season. Flagg couldn’t prevent the Mavericks from finishing with their second 50-loss season in the last 25 years, but he provided the franchise a glimpse of hope following Doncic’s departure.
During the broadcast Monday, NBC studio analyst and NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady credited Mavericks head coach Kidd with speeding up Flagg’s development by handing him the keys to the offense, including playing him at point guard.
The rookie agreed.
“J-Kidd is just the ultimate player’s coach,” Flagg said. “He was there for me from Day 1. We started building that relationship. But I think it just starts with him knowing the game at an extremely high level. … He reads the game at an incredible level and pace. Just having that and learning from him, and kind of picking his brain on what he’s seeing out there, and trying to put me in the right spots, I think helped me learn a lot about the game really quick.”
Flagg’s potential as a primary scoring option was on full display throughout the season. He led all rookies in games of 25 points (21), 30 points (11), 35 points (6), 40 points (4), 45 points (3) and 50 points (1).
After his midseason midfoot sprain, Flagg upped his assertiveness on the offensive end. He increased his shot volume and his free throw attempts. He finished the season on an explosive tear, averaging 29.2 points in April, including a career high 51 against the Orlando Magic.
Flagg’s average of 21 points per game is the highest for a rookie since Victor Wembanyama in the 2023-24 season. Of the past 15 Rookie of the Year winners, three others (Victor Wembanyama, Paolo Banchero and Doncic) have averaged at least 20 points.
In 70 games, Flagg was also first among rookies in field goals attempted (1,194) and made (559), free throws attempted (342) and made (283), assists (316; tied with Ryan Nembhard). He was second in points (1,473) and third in rebounds (466) and steals (84).
Flagg is the first Mavericks player to win a postseason individual award since Luka Doncic won the Western Conference Finals MVP award in 2024.
The team will hold a news conference with Flagg in Dallas on Wednesday.
Mike is the Mavericks Beat Writer for The Dallas Morning News. Before his arrival at the DMN, he spent two seasons covering the Detroit Pistons at The Detroit News. Mike earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications from Tennessee State University and received his master’s degree in Media and Communication from Middle Tennessee State University.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
