The Dallas Mavericks may have endured a disappointing season, but rookie Cooper Flagg has emerged as a rare bright spot after the franchise traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers to usher in a new era.
Still only 19, Flagg showed just how young he is when he recently admitted he is not particularly familiar with the playing career of Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who was one of the NBA’s biggest stars long before the rookie was born.
Cooper Flagg Admits He Didn’t Grow Up Watching Jason Kidd
Flagg was born on Dec. 21, 2006, a time when Kidd, then playing for the New Jersey Nets, had already established himself as one of the league’s elite guards and was earning his fourth and final NBA All-Defensive First Team selection. By the time Kidd retired in 2013, Flagg was only seven years old.
So when asked how familiar he was with his head coach’s playing career, the rookie gave an honest answer.
“I’m not extremely familiar. I know he’s a legend, but no. I didn’t watch J-Kidd a ton,” Flagg told Andscape in an interview.
Kidd’s résumé, however, speaks for itself. The Hall of Fame point guard won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks during his second stint with the franchise in 2011 and ranks third all-time in NBA history in assists (12,091) and steals (2,684). Over his career, he was selected to 10 All-Star teams and earned five All-NBA First Team selections.
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His achievements were further recognized when he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. He was honored again in 2025 as a member of the Redeem Team.
Despite those accomplishments, Kidd believes Flagg’s potential could surpass even his own.
“There’s no bar. There is no limit on this young man,” Kidd said of Flagg. “Time and strength. Once he gets those two, it’s over.”
Kidd initially faced criticism for experimenting with Flagg at point guard, especially after the rookie’s slow start. In five games in October, Flagg averaged just 13.4 points on 41 percent shooting and attempted only 2.6 free throws per game. Since then, however, the young star has begun to show flashes of his ceiling, including a stretch last month when the Maine native averaged 27.3 points over four games before suffering an injury.
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“He’s given me a ton of stuff, but I think it was more just about me being myself. He’s just giving me a lot of confidence about just being myself and just letting the game come to me. He’s given me a ton of advice,” Flagg said of Kidd’s guidance.
Flagg returned to the court Friday against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden and recorded 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists as he continues to recover from a left foot sprain. Even so, he remains the team’s leading scorer this season, averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 47.3% from the field.
