Well, who would’ve thought? After the Dallas Mavericks shockingly traded away Luka Doncic to the Lakers, things seemed gloomy. But on Monday night, the franchise pulled off something absolutely wild—they landed the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. With just a 1.8% chance to hit the jackpot, as they had the 11th-worst record, tied with the Chicago Bulls, but won a tiebreaker for better lottery positioning. And now? The entire league is buzzing because that No. 1 pick likely means Duke phenom Cooper Flagg is headed to Dallas. But what truly set the internet on fire wasn’t just the pick itself—it was LeBron James’ hilarious and crystal-clear reaction.

Meanwhile, the real stunners were the teams that didn’t make it. The Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets were all sitting pretty with the best odds—thanks to their bottom-of-the-barrel records. But they got nothing. Charlotte came the closest at No. 4. Surprisingly, it was Philly who crept up to No. 3, sparking temporary dreams of a Flagg-Embiid-Maxey trio. That didn’t last. The Spurs also found themselves back at No. 2, raising eyebrows after adding De’Aaron Fox to Victor Wembanyama. Still, no Cooper Flagg for them either.

Instead, it’s Dallas that gets the golden ticket. And now, GM Nico Harrison can wipe the slate clean by possibly teaming Flagg with Anthony Davis—and maybe Kyrie Irving too. No wonder LeBron James couldn’t hold back. He jumped on X and dropped a simple but telling, “🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.”

But here’s the thing—he wasn’t alone. That laugh? It echoed all around the league.

Did Cooper Flagg’s news revealed a hidden side of NBA?

While the 2025 NBA Draft order locked in, Cooper Flagg kept it cool. Seated calmly, the Duke sensation didn’t crack a smile—just a polite clap as the Mavericks were announced as the winners. But his teammate Kon Knueppel? Mouth wide open. The dude looked stunned. And honestly, so were fans online. As soon as Dallas snagged the top pick—just weeks after trading Luka to LA, and social media lit up with people throwing around the word “convenient” like confetti.

One fan vented, “Dallas loses Luka and instantly gets gifted Cooper Flagg I’m so f–king done.” Then doubled down with, “This is rigged as f–k.” It didn’t stop with the fans, though. Even NBA players and insiders joined the chaos. Miami’s Kevin Love straight up posted, “There is no f–king way 🤣🤣🤣.” That emoji combo alone told you everything about how wild this moment felt for the league.

But it gets even messier. Suns’ forward Kevin Durant wrote, “Tanking must be really stressful on a organization.” A direct short at NBA? However, in a now-deleted X post, LaMelo Ball dropped a subtle but pointed, “Hold up 👀👀👀.” And Bill Simmons? Well, the NBA veteran analyst didn’t hold back either: “Oh get the f–k out of here. Come on.”

On the flip side, not everyone was frustrated. ESPN’s Adam Schefter stirred things up with a quick edit—a photo of Flagg already in a Mavericks jersey. That image spread like wildfire. And guess who else was hyped? Mavs forward P.J. Washington. He tossed out a “👀👀👀” on X like he knew what was coming.

Even beyond basketball, the moment reached NFL turf. Kansas City Chiefs QB and Texas native Patrick Mahomes, who’s a proud Mavericks fan, could barely contain himself. “OMGGGGG!! Let’s goo!!!!!” he screamed in one post, then added in another, “GO (Mavericks).” That’s the kind of crossover buzz Cooper Flagg is bringing—NBA draft moment or not.

Now, if you’re sitting there thinking, “Why all this for an 18-year-old?”—you might need to catch up. Flagg is the real deal. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while leading Duke to the Final Four. He’s also a Consensus All-American and wiped out the awards list.

And that’s not even half of it. The 6-foot-9 forward swept nearly every major honor—National College Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Freshman of the Year, ACC All-Defensive Team, and NABC Freshman of the Year. So sure, the lottery was wild. But now? All eyes are on Cooper Flagg. The hype is real. Let’s see if he lives up to it.