Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg will make his much-anticipated NBA regular season debut on Wednesday night.
The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, Flagg is one of the most ballyhooed players to enter the league in recent years. The popularity of his trading cards is further indication of the hype.
According to the latest data from sports card grader Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Flagg is the only rookie who cracks the top 10 of their most-collected NBA players this offseason.
Flagg’s cards were graded 21,300 times this offseason, third-most in the NBA behind LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama.
The popularity of Flagg’s cards soared after he was drafted with the top pick on June 25, with card submissions increasing 75% between June and July.
PSA’s 10 most-collected NBA players this offseason
- Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs – 29,500 cards graded
- LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers – 23,800 cards graded
- Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks – 21,300 cards graded
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors – 13,500 cards graded
- Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves – 10,700 cards graded
- Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs – 10,400 cards graded
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder – 9,800 cards graded
- Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers – 9,200 cards graded
- Amen Thompson, Houston Rockers – 6,500 cards graded
- Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls – 5,900 cards graded
Raising the Flagg
Winning the draft lottery and right to pick Flagg No. 1 was a major coup for the Mavericks, who are still feeling the effects of trading Doncic, their franchise cornerstone, back in February.
The national college Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American in his lone season at Duke, Flagg led the Blue Devils to the Final Four. His presence has already energized the Dallas fanbase, who are eager to see their prized rookie make his mark.
While Flagg’s natural position may be forward, the Mavericks have experimented with him playing point guard during Summer League and in the preseason. It’s a tactic they may continue to deploy tomorrow night and beyond.
“I think from Summer League to preseason, he’s done a great job running the team and playing that position. We’re all comfortable with him doing that, so we’ll see what happens on opening night,” said Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd.
Flagg and the Mavs will face Wembanyama and the Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET Wednesday night on ESPN.
