Cooper Flagg surpasses LeBron James to make NBA history in Mavericks’ loss to Jazz

The Dallas Mavericks have stumbled out of the gate in the 2025-26 NBA season, posting a 10-17 record and sitting 12th in the Western Conference.

Their struggles continued on Tuesday, December 16 (Philippine Standard Time), as they fell 140-133 to the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. But despite the loss, rookie Cooper Flagg stole the spotlight with a historic performance.

The 18-year-old phenom scored 42 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out six assists in 42 minutes of action, going 13-of-27 from the field. In doing so, Flagg made NBA history, becoming the youngest player—and the first 18-year-old—to score at least 40 points in a game. He surpassed LeBron James, who previously held the record with 27 points against the Boston Celtics on December 13, 2003, during his rookie season.

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Notably, Flagg and LeBron remain the only players in NBA history to score more than 24 points in a single game at that age, achieving this feat a combined 14 times. Flagg also became just the fourth rookie in Mavericks history to record a 40-point game, joining Jay Vincent (twice in 1982), Mark Aguirre (1981), and Roddy Beaubois (2010). Additionally, he is only the fifth rookie in the past 15 years to tally 40 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a single outing.

COOPER FLAGG SCORES THE MOST POINTS EVER BY AN 18-YEAR-OLD IN NBA HISTORY!!!

42 PTS (career high)
7 REB
6 AST
2 BLK pic.twitter.com/oCXzgiKiG7

— NBA (@NBA) December 16, 2025

“Obviously, we didn’t win, so it’s tough for me to be happy about that,” Flagg said after the game. “But it’s still a success. It’s come a long way from the start of the season, and I’m proud of that fourth quarter. I’m just getting more comfortable, settling in, and letting the game come to me.”

Reflecting on his performance, the No. 1 overall pick remained grounded. “I’ve got to be better. I had a couple of dumb turnovers and missed some easy shots, but I need to execute better down the stretch. I’m not really focused on the records—I’m focused on getting better day by day and helping our team get wins.”

Flagg has shown signs of consistency recently, averaging 25.7 points per game over his last seven appearances. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd believes the rookie’s continued growth is inevitable with more court time.

“The more time he spends on the floor, the more he sees, the better he gets. He displayed it all tonight,” Kidd said.

With Anthony Davis still sidelined due to injury, the Mavericks will rely on Flagg to maintain his high level of play as they look to bounce back against the Detroit Pistons at the American Airlines Center on Friday, December 19 (Philippine Standard Time).

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