Everyone is awaiting the official professional debut of 2025 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, who will suit up for Dallas for the first time on July 10th against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Dallas will face Los Angeles in Las Vegas at 8:00 pm EST at Thomas & Mack Center. The game will be aired on ESPN.
Some of the top 2025 NBA Draft picks have already suited up or faced off against one another. The Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz met in both squads' Summer League openers on July 5th. The contest featured VJ Edgecombe and Ace Bailey, the No. 3 overall and No. 5 overall selections in this summer's draft to Philadelphia and Utah, respectively.
Edgecombe wasted no time getting to work, going for a game-high 28 points to go along with 10 rebounds, four assists, a steal, and two blocks in a 93-89 win for the Jazz.
Flagg won't match up with another top draft choice from this summer in his debut, as the Lakers only had one selection in the second round, which the franchise used on Adou Thiero from Arkansas.
Despite some of the top rookies already getting underway in the Summer League, there's no doubt that Flagg's debut is the most highly anticipated. The former Blue Devil rookie sensation is viewed as a generational prospect after putting together one of the best freshman campaigns in the history of college basketball.
Flagg led Duke in all five major statistical categories, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals a night en route to leading the Blue Devils to a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament and a Final Four appearance.
The Maine native took home ACC Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, and became the fourth freshman ever to win the Wooden Award, joining Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Davis.
Flagg won't be tasked with taking on a heavy load offensively right away, like many of the other rookies will, as the Mavericks are built to win right now. It's not too often a No. 1 overall pick makes the playoffs as a rookie, but Flagg and the Mavericks are poised to do so in 2026.