Cooper Flagg Graces SLAM Magazine Cover For Second Time

Dallas Mavericks rookie phenom Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA draft, has landed on the cover of another edition of SLAM Magazine.

Cooper Flagg First Appeared On SLAM Magazine Cover In 2023

For the second time, the 6-foot-9 forward is appearing on the cover of the renowned sports magazine, holding a basketball with the bold caption, “What’s pressure?”

According to Cody Taylor of Yahoo Sports, the latest installment also features a specialized “ORANGE METAL” edition, made available only for a limited 48-hour sale window.

Flagg, who turns 19 in December, first appeared on the cover in December 2023 after committing to Duke University and spent his lone college season there leading the Blue Devils to a Final Four appearance.

The Mavericks secured Flagg via the 2025 NBA draft lottery months after general manger Nico Harrison shocked the NBA community by trading away superstar Luka Doncic before February’s trade deadline.

Flagg Won Several NCAA Awards At Duke

Formerly ranked as a five-star recruit and the top-ranked prospect in the Class of 2024, the native of Newport, Maine, enters the NBA as one of the most hyped prospects since LeBron James.

In 37 games (all starts) at Duke in his freshman 2024-25 season, he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 30.7 minutes per contest while shooting 48.1% from the field and 38.5% from deep.

Flagg received several awards in the NCAA, including ACC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors. He also won the Wooden and Naismith Awards for Player of the Year, as well as received a consensus first-team All-American selection.

“For me, it’s just about loving to win and embracing the competition. I’ve always wanted to win more than anything else. It all stems from there,” Flagg said in an interview with the magazine.

Mavericks Shut Down Cooper Flagg Early In NBA Summer League

Flagg and the Mavericks will open their 2025-26 season against fellow rookie Dylan Harper and the San Antonio Spurs in an early showdown between the top two picks in this year’s draft.

The Mavs opted to shut down Flagg in the NBA Summer League after the rookie star scored 31 points in a July 12 matchup against Harper and the Spurs.

Flagg shot 10-for-21 from the floor in a bounce-back performance from his summer league debut against the Los Angeles Lakers on July 10, when he scored just 10 points on 5-of-21 shooting.

“I think it’s a new environment, new setting,” Flagg said then after Dallas’ 76-69 loss to San Antonio. “They want to see me be aggressive and do that type of stuff.

“I think I did that a lot better today, just getting to the line, getting fouled, and that helped me to get comfortable and get settled in early. Still missed a bunch of free throws. I know my mom probably wasn’t very happy with that.”

Flagg Looks Forward To Playing Alongside NBA Veterans

Mavericks summer league coach Josh Broghamer said then that Flagg “just continues to make the right plays” and praised the former Blue Devil for his work “off the ball” against the Spurs.

“It’s always just been about getting better all around. There’s so much you can work on and get better at. I just try to get better all around, all the time,” Flagg added during his interview with SLAM Magazine.

“I’m excited to be surrounded by a lot of older, experienced guys who have had success winning at the highest level,” he said about playing alongside his new Mavs teammates.

“It’s going to be really cool to learn from them, be a sponge and soak it all up to learn a lot.”