Cooper Flagg and his family had a big night on Wednesday, as the Dallas Mavericks forward received his Rookie of the Year trophy.
With his parents present, Flagg spoke to the media about winning his first major NBA award. But another person also grabbed fans’ attention.
Seated beside Flagg’s mother in the front row of his press conference was a woman who got people talking online. Apparently, she’s someone close to Flagg, because otherwise she wouldn’t be in such proximity to him and his parents. Here’s a clip showing a glimpse of the said woman.
beautiful young lady sitting w Coop's parents
— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) April 29, 2026
family friend or girlfriend? pic.twitter.com/QiQJj2DqrQ
Fans also think they have an idea of who she was, with many believing she is Duke Blue Devils women’s basketball center Arianna Roberson.
def his girl. you can tell by the way moms look at her
— JG (@hookemjg) April 29, 2026
Ari, she plays for Duke women’s team 💙😈
— ALYSSA HARRIS (@alyssapaigelife) April 29, 2026
arianna roberson duke women''s basketball, girlfriend probably
— charlize (@taengooosgirl) April 29, 2026
She plays for Duke, Ariana Roberson.
— Michael Aranda (@Michael_Aranda) April 29, 2026
The woman could also be the same person who watched a game between Duke and the Syracuse Orange with Flagg at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., in February. Fans pointed at the time that it was Roberson as well.
Roberson is the sister of former Oklahoma City Thunder star defender Andre Roberson. She did not play in the 2024-25 season due to an injury, but saw action in 33 games during the 2025-26 campaign.
Flagg, of course, also attended Duke, so a friendship with Roberson is not all that unlikely.
The Mavericks rookie Flagg edged fellow Duke teammate and Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel for the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy after securing 56 first-place votes and amassing 412 points in the voting.
During his first season in the league, he averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists through 70 games.
