As the first round of the NBA playoffs continues, the league is also announcing awards one after the other. From Shai Gilgeous-Alexander winning Clutch Player of the Year to Nickeil Alexander-Walker earning the Most Improved Player Award, there have been some festivities already.
However, the Rookie of the Year race was among the closest award races in recent memory. With a race to the finish line, it was Cooper Flagg who brought home the award for the Dallas Mavericks.
To acknowledge his brilliance, the franchise released a tribute video narrated by veteran teammate Kyrie Irving, leaving the basketball world in awe.
Mavericks Already Gearing Up for Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg Together
A loaded 2025 draft class was always going to have a lot of focus on it heading into the season. With Flagg seemingly the clear-cut best prospect, his selection with the No. 1 pick wasn’t in jeopardy.
But over the course of the season, other rookies like Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, and Kon Knueppel also put together incredible debut campaigns. As a result, the race tightened up considerably near the end of the season.
However, Flagg still brought it home, earning 56 first-place votes, with the other 44 going to Knueppel. Once the award was made official, the Mavericks posted a heartwarming video celebrating his success.
Starting with him during practice, the video was narrated by Irving, who himself won Rookie of the Year in 2012. “Greatness isn’t forged in the spotlight. It’s shaped in the quiet, in the rhythm of showing up every day. They counted you out too early; they even questioned if you were built for it. But even with the weight of expectation, you never flinched.”
Kyrie narrated this Mavs Cooper Flagg Rookie of the Year video. 🔥🙌
(via @dallasmavs)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 28, 2026
Eventually, the video shifted to his brilliance during the season, where he averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting almost 47% from the field. “Pressure – a place where doubt lives and most fold. But you, you found peace there. Ain’t no pressure.”
It was a beautifully orchestrated video that highlighted his story through his rookie season. And with Irving, who had to miss the entire 2025–26 season with a torn ACL, narrating it, one user believed it was the ultimate icing on the cake. “The fact kyrie is narrating is immaculate.”
The fact kyrie is narrating is immaculate
— Jay (@JLettucewrist) April 27, 2026
Others, too, believed the meaning behind the former NBA champion narrating the video was hard to miss. “Kyrie Irving narrating the Cooper Flagg ROTY video is pure poetry. The veteran champion passing the torch to the next franchise cornerstone. The vibes in Dallas are unmatched.”
“Flagg and Kyrie narration are instant chills 🔥 Rookie of the Year locked in,” one user remarked.
As another user wrote, “GREAT JOB KYRIE FROM ONE LEGEND TO THE NEXT,” it was easy to get swept up in the beauty of it all. As one user called it, “That’s actually cute, and the video is a banger,” while another wrote, “Fire.”
However, for a lot of people, the video was a sign of things to come for the Mavericks. “Wait til he’s back and see what this teams gonna do,” one person wrote, while another added, “Uncle Drew snapped. Can’t wait to have him back next season.”
As he recovers from injury, his timeline places him back on the court next season for Dallas.
With a spectacular two-way threat alongside him, it could give the Mavs an instant boost and remake them as a potential playoff contender almost immediately.
