Duke star Cooper Flagg speaks after being named NBA Rookie of the Year

Cooper Flagg took home the NBA's 2025-26 Rookie of the Year Award Monday night, narrowly besting his former teammate Kon Knueppel in the process. The award winner was announced by a former Blue Devil who won an NBA Rookie of the Year Award, Grant Hill, who did so with the Detroit Pistons . Hill was a Co-ROY that season, sharing the award with Flagg's current head coach, Jason Kidd.

Following the win, Flagg spoke about what the award means to him. "It's surreal; it's pretty cool," said Flagg. "Dealing with that (pressure) on the fly, adjusting and kind of getting thrown in the fire right away like that helped me long term and getting more comfortable.

I’ve grown my game. I feel I grew in a lot of different areas throughout the year. " Despite an injury scare in March, Flagg dominated in April, scoring 96 points in a two-game span.

On the season, the former Blue Devil finished with averages of 21 points, 6. 7 rebounds and 4. 5 assists.