Cooper Flagg is the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year, the league announced on Monday. Flagg's victory marks the end of one of the most contentious Rookie of the Year debates in recent history, with Flagg beating out his former college teammate, No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel, to secure the trophy.
Flagg, as the No. 1 overall pick who opened the season playing point guard for the Dallas Mavericks, was the initial favorite. However, a slow start and a poorly constructed roster hurt him in the season's opening months.
Knueppel's Hornets didn't exactly explode out of the gates either, opening the season with a 4-14 record that even included some LaMelo Ball trade rumblings. But once the Hornets settled in, they emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the season. Following that initial 18-game slump, the Hornets went 40-24 with the No. 3 offense and No. 5 net rating in basketball. They rebuilt their entire organizational identity around their shooting, with the three-headed perimeter monster of Ball, Knueppel and Brandon Miller proving almost unguardable for overwhelmed opponents.
Flagg, on the other hand, improved slowly over the course of the year, but missed 11 games between the middle of January and early March. The Mavericks traded Anthony Davis and seemingly began to prioritize draft position. With Knueppel thriving on a team in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race, the odds suggested that he was a lock. But then Flagg took a major step down the stretch. He averaged over 25 points in his final 15 full games of the season while chipping in 6.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists. He scored 96 points in a historic two-game stand that reminded the entire basketball world just how special he's going to become.
All of this together forced voters into a rare, philosophical debate about the nature of the award. Flagg had superior counting stats and was the sole engine for a weak Mavericks team. Knueppel was more efficient, had a historic shooting season that included leading the NBA in 3-pointers, and was a critical part of a winning team. Winning rarely factors into the debate, as most top rookies get drafted high in the lottery by teams coming off of poor seasons. Knueppel didn't just join a good team; he helped build one.
The race took another turn when Knueppel struggled in the Play-In Tournament. Normally, this wouldn't have mattered. However, as multiple players had applied for exceptions to the NBA's 65-game awards minimum rule, ballots were not sent out until after those games had been played. That gave voters a chance to reconsider the two candidates. Even if the award is only supposed to reflect regular-season performance, voters are human.
In the end, Flagg edged out Knueppel for the award. He is the third Maverick to win the award, joining his coach, Jason Kidd, and the star he replaced as the face of the franchise, Luka Dončić. He finished his rookie season averaging 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. With Flagg in place, the Mavericks have rebounded nicely from the disastrous Dončić trade and now, their new franchise player earns a lifetime of bragging rights over his Duke teammate.