BROOKLYN (WGME) — Mainer Cooper Flagg is officially a member of the Dallas Mavericks after he was selected with the first overall pick in Wednesday night’s NBA Draft.
It was no secret where the basketball phenom was headed.
The magic happened at the Barclays Center Wednesday night. In fact, Flagg’s picture is still on the big screen entering the building as he becomes the second youngest player in NBA history to be drafted first overall.
“I’m just playing the moments back in my head. Standing up, hearing my name,” Flagg said.
It was a moment Flagg had been dreaming about since he was a youngster growing up in Newport.
” You know, I got a call, my agent had gotten a call from people on their team, so I kind of knew for like three minutes leading up to the decision, but the longest five minutes of my life,” Flagg said.
It was the most exciting, as well.
“I just feel really blessed and honored just to be here,” Flagg said. “It’s a dream come true to go through the whole process, you know, to be here, enjoy it, and I think I tried to do that to the best of my ability.”
Flagg now joins a veteran Dallas Mavericks team that has a ton of talent and just got a whole lot better.
“I’m excited to be a sponge, to get down there and just learn, to be surrounded by hall-of-fame-caliber guys and just to learn from them is going to be an incredible experience,” Flagg said. “I feel so blessed to be in the position that I am in. Just to get down there be a sponge, learn and try and grow my game as much as I can.”
The last time the Mavericks had the number one pick prior to Wednesday night was when they selected Mark Aguirre first overall and now, they can add Cooper Flagg to that list. By the way, Flagg will wear number 32 for the Mavericks next season. It’s the same number he wore at Nokomis High School, where he led the Warriors to a Class A State Championship.