NBA Official: Flag Named Rookie of the Year, Becoming the Third Mavericks Player to Win the Award

On April 28 Beijing time, the NBA officially announced that Mavericks top draft pick Flag was selected as the 2025-26 season Rookie of the Year, becoming the third player in Mavericks history to win this award. Jason Kidd in the 1994-95 season and Luka Doncic in the 2018-19 season had previously received this honor. Flag defeated the Hornets' Knuppel and the 76ers' Edgecombe to secure the award.

A global media panel consisting of 100 members voted to determine the 2025-26 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year. Flag received 56 first-place votes with a total score of 412 points, while Knuppel received 44 first-place votes with a total of 386 points. The 26-point gap between the top two finishers this year is the second smallest margin since the current voting system was introduced in the 2002-03 season, only trailing the 15-point difference in the 2021-22 season (Barnes defeating Mobley).

Flag played 70 regular-season games for the Mavericks this season, averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. Among all rookies meeting the official ranking criteria, his average points ranked first, rebounds fourth, assists second, steals second, and blocks fifth, placing him in the top five for all five basic statistical categories among rookies.

In the final six games of April, Flag averaged 29.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, demonstrating performance at an All-Star level. This included scoring 51 points against the Magic on April 4, setting multiple personal records. After that game, Flag stated: "I have great confidence in myself and know my capabilities. I'm not sure if scoring 50+ helps in the Rookie of the Year competition, but I hope it does."

Hornets shooter Knuppel, Flag's former college teammate, averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season. 76ers third overall pick Edgecombe averaged 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. Although both performed excellently, Flag ultimately won based on the voting results.

Appendix: List of Rookie of the Year Winners Over the Past 10 Seasons—

2016-17 Season: Brogdon, Bucks

2017-18 Season: Simmons, 76ers

2018-19 Season: Doncic, Mavericks

2019-20 Season: Morant, Grizzlies

2020-21 Season: Ball, Hornets

2021-22 Season: Barnes, Raptors

2022-23 Season: Banchero, Magic

2023-24 Season: Wembanyama, Spurs

2024-25 Season: Castle, Spurs

2025-26 Season: Flag, Mavericks