A player's first jersey number in their professional sport is a big deal. While they can always change it later down the road, it will be the number that they establish their professional identity with. It will be the number on their rookie card, and the number that fans can wear to show their support.
Cooper Flagg is expected to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which means that he will land with the Mavericks. The highly touted prospect would arrive in Dallas mere months after the franchise traded its former star Luka Doncic to the Lakers.
The Mavericks faithful are in need of a new superstar to get behind, and Flagg is the logical choice. It becomes very important for fans to know which jersey he may wear when he gets to town. The organization only has four jerseys retired, so he can choose to either go with a number that fans may be familiar with or with a number that has meaning to him as he begins his pro career.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Here are our predictions for Flagg's jersey number when he gets to the NBA.
Cooper Flagg jersey number
After the Mavericks drafted Flagg No. 1 overall, they immediately revealed a Flagg No. 32 jersey, so this appears to be the forward's number in Dallas.
FLAGG CAPTURED!
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) June 26, 2025
WELCOME TO DALLAS, COOPER! @Academy // #FlaggCaptured #MFFL pic.twitter.com/NJ4RnsR6Lt
Here's why Flagg chose that number:
No. 32
No. 32 is open on the Mavericks, which is probably why Flagg chose it. This is the number that Flagg wore in high school, and when he was at Duke, he was often seen wearing a necklace with the number on it. He wore No. 32 because it is the number that his mother wore when she played in college at the University of Maine. Flagg couldn't wear No. 32 at Duke because it had been retired in honor of Christian Laettner.
And here are a few other options that Flagg chose against wearing in the end:
No. 2
No. 2 is what Flagg wore in his lone season at Duke. While initially it seems like it will be unavailable to him, if he really wanted it, he probably could have struck a deal with Dereck Lively II to give it up to him. Lively would have to apply to both his team and the league for the jersey swap, but assuming that the NBA and Mavericks realize how much money the Flagg merch will bring in, it would be silly not to approve it.
Flagg wore No. 2 in college to honor a family friend, Donovan Kurt, who unfortunately passed away from cancer. Kurt wore No. 2 when he played, and Flagg chose it to honor him.
MORE NBA DRAFT NEWS:
- Full list of all 59 picks in 2025 NBA Draft
- Examining the 6 safest NBA Draft picks in 2025
- Who are the riskiest picks in the 2025 NBA Draft?
No. 77
What better way to win over your new fan base than by making a strong first impression? Outside of the four retired numbers, Flagg can really go after whatever number he wants. He can try to get a teammate to give up one they already have or go for an unoccupied option.
If Flagg really wanted to make a statement, he could have worn No. 77. This was the number worn by Luka Doncic, who was surprisingly traded to the Lakers during the 2024-2025 season. The best way for Dallas to officially move on from Doncic is to have its new star player take up the mantle and re-brand the number, as unlikely as it may be.
MORE NBA DRAFT NEWS:
- Ranking the 16 biggest NBA Draft busts of all time
- Every NBA team's biggest draft regret in team history
- Who are the biggest Duke busts in NBA history?
- Everything to know about how the NBA Draft works
Mavericks retired numbers
Here are the numbers that the Mavericks have retired:
- No. 12 — Derrick Harper
- No. 15 — Brad Davis
- No. 22 — Rolando Blackman
- No. 41 — Dirk Nowitzki