On Monday, the Dallas Mavericks stunned the NBA by winning the draft lottery and therefore the right to take Cooper Flagg, the Duke University freshman phenom, with the No. 1 overall pick in next month's draft.

CHICAGO (AP) — The town of Newport, Maine, has a population of about 3,200 people. There’s a bowling alley, a popular local diner that serves breakfast all day, a hunting club and it costs only $6 to license your dog. It is a quintessential small New England town. It is not known for developing NBA stars. Cooper Flagg was undeterred.

NBA fans on X chimed in with their reactions to the Flagg-Pippen comparison as it grabbed attention on social media. One user commented that Flagg's ability to take over a game is more reminiscent of LeBron James than Scottie Pippen, while another questioned whether Flagg is the same type of "quick-twitch" athlete Pippen was in his prime.

The Chicago Bulls had a stroke of bad luck when fans learned that the Dallas Mavericks were winners of the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.