Dallas Mavericks sensation Cooper Flagg has taken home the NBA Rookie of the Year award, surpassing his former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel. Flagg achieved numerous records for an NBA teenager during a challenging season for the Mavericks.
He became the first rookie to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals since Michael Jordan in the 1984-85 season. Despite the Mavericks' difficult season, Flagg's impressive performance earned him the award over Knueppel, who helped the Charlotte Hornets achieve a 25-win improvement. Flagg and Knueppel were the top two rookie scorers, making them the first former college teammates to accomplish this feat since Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon in 2004-05. Flagg expressed his admiration for Knueppel, stating that he kept a close eye on his former teammate's progress throughout the season, both as a competitor and as a friend.
The NBA Rookie of the Year award was the sixth to be announced since the end of the regular season. In other NBA news, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Phoenix Suns 131-122, completing a four-game sweep in the first-round series.
The Thunder will face the winner of the Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets series in the Western Conference semi-finals.