Dallas professionals Paige Bueckers and Cooper Flagg have had similar starts, and now Bueckers is indicating that the duo knows it.

After winning the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year award, Bueckers congratulated Flagg for joining her on the list with a voicemail, "Coop! Congrats on Rookie of the Year. Not bad for our first rodeo, right? Now let’s see who gets that ring for Dallas first.” She said in a clip from a Gatorade advertisement.

Flagg, having seen the clip, expressed his appreciation for Bueckers during a media availability on April 29. “I think just the support, obviously, she's in Dallas as well, and I think a very similar situation. She was the No. 1 pick. She came in, had an incredible first year.” Flagg said.

“And so I think just having that support, knowing that there's somebody you know right there, right down the street, that went through a very similar thing, and just having her reach out and have that support is huge.” The 19-year-old added.

Both Bueckers and Flagg have experienced similar career trajectories with their respective Dallas teams.

As college freshmen, each of them was awarded the national Player of the Year for UConn and Duke, respectively.

Moving to their professional leagues, Bueckers was the WNBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick of 2025 by the Dallas Wings. A year later, the Dallas Mavericks drafted Flagg No. 1 overall.

Now, the 19-year-old has duplicated another of Bueckers’ honors from last season, when she won the 2025 ROTY award with a near-unanimous 70 of 72 first-place vote result.

Although both players know individual accolades matter, their goal is the same: winning a championship for the city of Dallas.

The two find themselves in comparable situations with their respective Dallas teams.

The Flagg and Bueckers Race to Winning a Championship

The WNBA has 15 teams compared to the NBA's 30, meaning the Wings face fewer opponents in the playoff bracket

On the other hand, the NBA has 30 teams and could add 2 more before the end of the decade. This is an advantage for Bueckers.

However, the Wings were the worst team in the league last season, posting a 10-34 record. Bueckers was the team's leading scorer, averaging 19.2 points and 5.4 assists per game, ranking among the league leaders among rookies with 692 points and 194 assists.

The 2024 NBA Finalist Dallas Mavericks also missed the playoffs this season, finishing at 12th in the Western Conference with a 26-56 win/loss record.

Flagg played 70 of those games and averaged a team-leading 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the floor.

He also became the youngest player in league history to score 50 or more points in a game when he scored 51 against the Orlando Magic. He previously came close with 49 against the Charlotte Hornets.

What do you think? Who, between Paige Bueckers and Cooper Flagg, will carry their team first to a championship?

Read more at She Got Game!

Written by

Joy Bassy