Cooper Flagg News Emerges After Major NBA Honor
Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg is officially the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year. He beat his former Duke teammate and now-Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel, who was a serious threat to him for the honor.
Flagg, who averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 70 games played, got 56 first-place votes to win Rookie of the Year. Knueppel, for his part, got the other 44 first-place votes.
Flagg earned a total of 412 points, just 26 points ahead of Knueppel. According to the NBA, it's the "second smallest" gap between the top two Rookie of the Year finalists since the current voting format started in 2002-03.
Now, to celebrate Flagg's accomplishment, Topps announced that it is releasing a "Topps Now Rookie of the Year" card for the Mavericks star.
Flagg signed an exclusive, multi-year trading card and memorabilia deal with Fanatics before he was drafted into the NBA in 2025. Fanatics is the parent company of Topps.
Making the news even better, fans who purchase the card get a chance to receive its 1-of-1 autograph version. This one-of-its-kind item features Flagg's autograph and an inscription that says, "2026 Rookie of the Year."
"Collectors who purchase the base edition of this card have a chance to receive the 1-of-1 autograph with their order," Topps shared, adding that fans and collectors only have 48 hours to order.
Collectors who purchase the base edition of this card have a chance of receiving the 1-of-1 autograph with their order... Available now for 48 hours! https://t.co/tfl3evnKOM
— Topps (@Topps) April 27, 2026
Considering Flagg's success and how dominant he was in his first year in the NBA, it won't be surprising to see a massive demand for his Rookie of the Year card. The chance to land such a massive grail should only add to the interest in it.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 4:18 AM.