Catching Cooper Flagg in his first NBA game at the Las Vegas Summer League on Thursday night has become the hottest ticket on that circuit since Victor Wembanyama’s debut with the San Antonio Spurs in 2023.
Flagg was picked first overall in the 2025 draft and his arrival with the Dallas Mavericks soothed a fan base shocked by the decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
The NCAA National Player of the Year in his only season at Duke, Flagg had the ball in his hands often for the Blue Devils, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 37 games before his one-year college career ended at the Final Four.
Now he’ll wear No. 32 with the Mavericks — he wore 2 for Duke — and the 6-foot-9 teenager might bring back a memory or two of Magic Johnson as he works out at point guard for Dallas.
His summer kicks off Thursday at Thomas & Mack Center against the Lakers (8 p.m. ET) and Bronny James, who was one of the biggest draws in Las Vegas last July.
Flagg said Tuesday afternoon he’s “looking forward” to the role of playmaker.
“Coach (Jon) Scheyer trusted me a lot last year,” Flagg said of the audition at the point guard spot, necessitated in part by Kyrie Irving’s recovery from an ACL tear. “I think it’s something I can do at a high level so I’m excited to just experiment and do some new things.”
For Wembanyama’s first game with the Spurs in Las Vegas two years ago, the most expensive single ticket available from an online reseller was $569 before fees.
Flagg officially signed his four-year, $62.7 million deal on July 2 and plans to play as much as the Mavericks will allow in the summer league.
Fans aren’t risking missing out on Flagg in Vegas. As of midday Wednesday, courtside seats hit an average of $800 apiece, while a pair of lower bowl general admission tickets goes for around $500 and single seats in the upper reaches of the arena are $100 on most resale sites.
–Field Level Media
