The pair have been competing against each other for years, including in high school when Edgecombe played for Long Island Lutheran and Flagg played for Montverde Academy. An old clip of Flagg ruthlessly trash-talking Edgecombe in a 2024 high school matchup has resurfaced after the start of what might be an exciting ROTY race. "You not like that."

Only a week has passed in the 2025-26 NBA season, but that doesn’t mean there has been a shortage of surprises. Many people believed the top overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg, would come out guns blazing.

Cooper Flagg experienced the most challenging matchup of his young NBA career on Monday night. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft scored just two points in the Dallas Mavericks' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, one night after a 22-point output.

Still, Mavericks All-Star Anthony Davis (26 points, 11 rebounds) led what was almost a 22-point comeback, as Dallas pulled to within three points (97-94) with 21.3 seconds left in the final frame. Oklahoma City fended them off. Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks never led once.

Cooper Flagg is favored to win Rookie of the Year, but after only a week, he has some stiff competition. See the latest odds.

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison surprised the sports world when he traded Luka Dončić last season. Then he shockingly ended up with the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, which landed him Cooper Flagg, the youngest draftee to go first overall since LeBron James in 2003.

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg is set to make his NBA debut and will wear a player-exclusive New Balance Hesi Low v2 colorway.

NBA debutants will have their first games commemorated with a patch -- one that will be removed and placed on one-of-a-kind autographed trading cards following use.