Cooper Flagg of the Mavericks has surpassed Kobe Bryant's 18-year-old NBA record.

Billy Heyen

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Mavericks' Cooper Flagg passes Kobe Bryant's 18-year old NBA record spot image

TL;DR

  • Cooper Flagg is showing NBA superstardom potential for the Dallas Mavericks.
  • He scored a personal best 29 points in a comeback win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
  • Flagg now has five 20-point games as an 18-year-old, surpassing Kobe Bryant.
  • This performance validates the Mavericks' draft strategy and secures a long-term advantage.

Cooper Flagg has hit his stride.

It took him a few weeks to adjust to the NBA game with the Dallas Mavericks.

But now it looks like the No. 1 overall pick is moving toward his inevitable superstardom.

Flagg scored a personal best of 29 points Friday evening, helping the Mavericks achieve a comeback victory against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Flagg's performance included a 12-for-19 shooting effort from the field, complemented by seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

In the process, he broke a tie with Kobe Bryant on a special NBA leaderboard.

As an 18-year-old, Bryant achieved 20-plus points in a game on four occasions. Flagg has now accomplished this feat five times.

That ranks him second in NBA history for the stat, behind just LeBron James.

This outcome is precisely what teams aimed for when deliberately losing games to secure the top selection in the 2025 draft. Improbably, defying expectations, the Mavs ended up in that position.

It seems highly probable they'll gain advantages for over ten years due to acquiring Flagg.

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Staff Writer