Richard Jefferson Says Cooper Flagg Won 56-44 Rookie of the Year Vote
richard jefferson was crowned NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday after taking 56 first-place votes and beating Kon Knueppel by 26 total points. The Dallas Mavericks forward became the second-youngest player in league history to win the award, a line that puts him in rare company and gives Dallas a clear answer after last season’s reset.
Flagg edges Knueppel
Flagg’s margin was built by a 56-44 split among 100 global media voters. Knueppel got the other 44 first-place votes, and the two former Duke teammates finished first and second in Rookie of the Year voting for the first time with players from the same college team.
That race stayed tight because both players produced award-worthy seasons. Flagg averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field and 29.5% from 3-point range. Knueppel answered with 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, hit 47.5% from the field and 42.5% from deep, and made 273 3-pointers, the most in the NBA.
Dallas built around Flagg
The award gives the Mavericks a centerpiece after they used the No. 1 pick on Flagg in last year’s NBA Draft. Dallas got there through a rough stretch: the team traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2024-25 season, fell to the lottery, and still landed the top pick despite tied-for-third-lowest lottery odds at 1.8%.
For Dallas, that path matters because Flagg now joins a short list of Maverick Rookie of the Year winners that includes Jason Kidd and Dončić. Kidd won in 1995, tied with Grant Hill, and Dončić won in 2019, so the franchise has now turned three different rookie seasons into leaguewide recognition.
Hornets and the rookie race
Knueppel’s finish was driven by more than volume scoring. The No. 4 pick helped Charlotte climb from 19-63 in 2024-25 to 44-38 in 2025-26, and the Hornets reached the play-in before losing to the Orlando Magic with a playoff spot on the line. He still finished second in a vote that split right down the middle at the top.
Flagg’s standing in the vote leaves Dallas with a player who already posted 21 points per game as a rookie and now carries an award that only one younger player in league history has won: LeBron James. The numbers from Monday settled the race, and they also set the Mavericks’ next chapter around the 2025-26 season’s top rookie.
