Cooper Flagg is already an NBA star in one respect. The first overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft made his Summer League debut on Thursday and, alongside another ratings-driver in Bronny James, drew an average of 955,000 viewers via Nielsen metrics, ESPN announced Friday. That's the fourth-highest recorded viewership in Summer League history.

Thursday night’s matchup between Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks and Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers was the fourth-most-watched Summer League game ever, per ESPN.

LAS VEGAS — He missed 16 of 21 shots, including all five attempts from deep, and airballed his first and final shots. And those who saw his NBA 2K26 Summer League debut still came away with a consensus gut feeling: Cooper Flagg is right on pace to be a problem.

NBA Las Vegas Summer League is underway, and the Los Angeles Lakers had an exciting matchup. Lakers guard Bronny James faced the Dallas Mavericks and rookie sma

Cooper Flagg made his NBA Summer League debut Thursday night and although he and the Dallas Mavericks earned the win, the No. 1 NBA Draft pick called it “one of the worst game of my life.”

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg strolled into UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center at 4:17 p.m. on Thursday, wearing Dallas Mavericks gear, bright white New Balance shoes, and an emotionless look on his face as he passed through security.

Cooper Flagg made his Summer League debut for the Dallas Mavericks in Thursday’s 87-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. While his performance didn’t quite live up to his usual standards, the game drew widespread attention.

The best of them was French point guard Nolan Traore, who looked like a guy who has played against men before (he played professionally in France last year) and was comfortable, finishing with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting and getting to the line six times. It was a promising start.

Immediately after the conclusion of his Summer League debut, an 87-85 Dallas Mavericks victory on Thursday, top 2025 NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg told ESPN's Katie George that his play was "not up to my standard.

Cooper Flagg called his NBA Summer League debut “one of the worst games of my life” after shooting 5-of-21 from the field.

Cooper Flagg strolled into UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center at 4:17 p.m. for his Summer League debut, wearing Dallas Mavericks gear, bright white New Balance shoes, and an emotionless look on his face as he passed through security.