LeBron James said he is a “fan” of Cooper Flagg after watching the Dallas Mavericks rookie drop 45 points in a Sunday night win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Cooper’s been in the zone over the last couple of games, but also just been playing consistent basketball all year,” James told reporters after the Lakers’ 134-128 loss. “So it’s great to see, from early in the season to where he is today. That’s great, as a fan of him, and a fan of the game.”

Flagg, who posted 51 points on Friday against the Orlando Magic, became the first rookie since Allen Iverson to record back-to-back 40-point games on Sunday.

James led the Lakers, who are missing Luka Dončić to a hamstring strain and Austin Reaves to an oblique injury, with 30 points and 15 assists in the loss.

That wasn’t the only way Flagg made history during Sunday’s win over the Lakers.

He also passed LeBron James for the most 40-point games as a teenager with his fourth at age 19.

Flagg also became the youngest player to record 45 points while reaching five rebounds and five assists in the same game.

James went on to praise not just Flagg but other stars from the 2025-26 rookie class, per DLLS’ Abby Jones.

“[Flagg’s] obviously special. I’ve seen that all the way back to the AAU days, when he was coming up in the ranks and playing with his team out of Maine, and doing the things that he was doing on the circuit,” James said, per DLLS Sports’ Abby Jones. “Knew he was special from there… he’s just getting better and better and better. Looks like he loves the game, he’s putting in the work, so he’s gotten better.

“But it’s a great rookie class. You look at V.J. [Edgecombe] in Philly, you look at Kon [Knueppel] in Charlotte, you look at Dylan [Harper] in San Antonio. It’s a great rookie class, and all of those guys are making an impact with their respective teams. So the league is in good hands, with those rooks.”

When asked about Flagg’s similarities to James ahead of the game, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said both players were “understanding the expectations, on a nightly basis, of taking on the No. 1 defender, or No. 2 defender, while being double-teamed.”

The Mavericks are hoping these early similarities to James will ultimately make Flagg a player they can build around as they look to return to playoff contention in the near future.