Many NBA fans will forever be convinced that the Dallas Mavericks were handed Cooper Flagg in a rigged draft lottery, but the No. 1 overall pick is not interested in entertaining conspiracy theories.
As expected, the Mavericks took Flagg with the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night. In his first news conference after being drafted, Flagg was asked if he has any thoughts on the theory that the NBA rigged the draft lottery so that Dallas would win.
Flagg did not take the bait.
“Nope. I don’t know what to say about that,” he replied. “I have no insider information if that’s what you’re looking for, but I just feel blessed for the way it all worked out.”
Someone had to ask Cooper Flagg about the conspiracy theories that the NBA rigged the draft lottery for the Mavericks in exchange for trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers.
— Dan Zaksheske (@RealDanZak) June 26, 2025
I guess that person had to be me. pic.twitter.com/fLIyku91cB
The Mavericks had a 1.8 percent chance of winning the NBA Draft Lottery, but they still landed the No. 1 pick. With Flagg widely viewed as one of the best prospects in decades, many believe the NBA rigged the lottery for Dallas in order to say thank you for trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the league’s most popular franchise.
It is hard to not be suspicious given that the Mavs had almost no chance of winning the lottery. Their decision to trade Doncic was also baffling.
None of that really matters to Flagg, who now has to focus on living up to the enormous expectations that surround him. The former Duke star delivered a legendary quote ahead of the NBA Draft.
