When the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg out of Duke with the first overall pick
in the 2025 NBA Draft, it may have been the least surprising pick since the Cavaliers
took LeBron James first in 2003. Speaking of James, Flagg has surpassed the Lakers
star in the history books, becoming the youngest player to score 40 points in an NBA
game and the youngest player to do it multiple times.
Flaggs 49-point effort Thursday night against the Charlotte Hornets was the rookie’s
second time this season eclipsing the 40-point mark. At 19 years and 40 days, he is
almost a year younger than James, whose second 40-point game came in his second
season, at 19 years and 330 days.
When Flagg recorded his first 40-point game, against the Utah Jazz on Christmas Day
last year, it was just his 26th NBA game. James’ first 40-point game, on March 27th,
2004, was his 69th NBA game, so Flagg did it three times faster. Their second 40-point
games came in their 44th and 90th games, respectively (twice as fast). Taking age out
of the equation, how does Flagg rank against some of the greats in NBA History?
Cooper Flagg Versus The Legends
One of Wilt Chamberlain’s 60+ NBA records that hasn’t been broken in half a century is
the fastest (not youngest) to score 40 points in multiple games. Chamberlain recorded
43 points and 28 rebounds in his NBA debut against the New York Knicks on October
24, 1959. Two games later, against the Syracuse Nationals, Chamberlain put up 41
points and 40 rebounds (the first of his eight career 40/40 games, which nobody else in
history has ever done once).
Chamberlain went on to have a mind-boggling 271 games with 40 points or more in his
career (100 more than Michael Jordan, who is second all-time), and an astounding 118
games with 50+ points (Jordan is again second, with 31). It’s great to be the youngest to
ever do it, but safe to say, Flagg isn’t even in the same stratosphere as Wilt.
Keeping Jordan in mind, his Airness recorded seven 40-point games as a rookie. The
first came on November 13, 1984, against the San Antonio Spurs, in Jordan’s ninth
career game. He joined the multiple 40-point game club on December 27th versus the
Cavs, in his 30th career game.
Kobe Bryant missed out on all the records, because he sat the bench as a rookie
(starting only 6 games, and playing just 14.4 minutes per game. In his second season,
he started only one game, and he became a full-time starter (50 games) in his third
season. Bryant’s first 40-point game wouldn’t come until the 1999-00 season, his fourth
in the league, with his second scoring outburst coming the following year.
This isn’t to say that Flagg is better than Bryant or James. Numbers are just numbers,
and they don’t imply anything. That’s for humans to do. Flagg may have an all-time
great career. He’s still a teenager and will be at the start of next season, too. He has a
long time to amass a career comparable to those mentioned above.
It’s just important to remember that any stat can be a record, and anybody can be the
youngest to do it. When the media is shoving something like this in our faces, be aware
of the history of the game, and that while 40 points as an 18-year-old is impressive,
there are far more impressive achievements out there.
