Nearly five months after losing one of their biggest superstars in franchise history, Luka Doncic, there is finally a new buzz in Dallas. Thanks to Cooper Flagg’s arrival, who is projected to be the future face of the Mavs organization. Obviously, fans cannot wait to see the former Blue Devil sharing the court with legends like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson. While there are still a few months left before that happens, the world got a brief glimpse of it tonight as Kyrie and Flagg linked up at a familiar location.

It happened at the American Airlines Center as Dallas Wings hosted Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever. Of course, it was a highly anticipated encounter, with two most recent number 1 picks, Paige Bueckers and Caitlin potentially going head-to-head. Hoping to witness the clash live, Kyrie arrived at AAC with his daughter, Azurie Elizabeth. The father-daughter duo even clicked some courtside pictures holding Bueckers’ Wings jersey.

Turns out, Cooper Flagg was also in the building. Sure enough, Dallas crowd embraced him with loud cheers as the rookie was shown on the jumbotron. Later at the game, Kyrie and Flagg were spotted hugging and dapping each other up. A warm welcome for the rookie from his veteran teammate.

Unfortunately, there was one key ingredient missing amid this wholesome moment. Still recovering from her groin injury, Caitlin was unable to suit up tonight, missing her second straight game. Well, she has been dealing with constant injury woes. She was sidelined with a quad injury for five straight games earlier in the season. But despite CC’s absence, Ky and Cooper got their moneys worth, as Wings and Fever produced a thrilling game.

For the Wings, Paige led the charge, dropping 27 points and proving why she is the future of the franchise. Meanwhile, Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell scored 32 points to lead Fever to an eight-point victory. While the night ended with Dallas losing, Kyrie welcoming Flagg was a memorable moment.

Kyrie Irving sends strong message to Cooper Flagg as Mavs rookie looks forward to learning from veteran stars

Although tonight was Ky and Cooper’s first public meeting, the former champion had already welcomed the first pick through a strong video message earlier this week, “Everybody wants to be number one. Until the pressure sets in. I’ve been there. You talk about being able to handle the pressure, the expectations, the rise, the fall, the climb back to the top to be number one. To live in the pressure, to become the pressure. The moment, the pose, the accolades, the unseen work. From Gatorade, Naismith, AP, Erving, Wooden, ACC Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year. But they’ll never be satisfied until you do it again and again and again. You see, what you’ve done got you here, but that’s not what keeps you here. Now, it’s your turn. Silence the noise.”

Of course, Kyrie was the Cavs’ number one pick in 2011, so he understands the pressure that comes with it. And he knows that the world will not be satisfied until Flagg leads Dallas to a championship they so desperately have been craving for the past fourteen years. Fortunately, Cooper has two former number one picks, Davis and Irving, as his teammates to turn to for advice. And he is hoping to soak in all the knowledge from them during his rookie season.

“I just feel really blessed and grateful for the situation I’ve been given… I’m just looking forward to being a sponge. Just getting down here, I’m excited to just learn, soak it all in and learn from the guys that are older and have been through it all before. Those guys have so much knowledge. They’ve been through so much, and they have so much experience that it’s just going to be an incredible opportunity for me to learn and grow under them.” He remarked. Even Jason Kidd believes that the presence of veteran leaders will play a massive role in Flagg’s development. So, all eyes will be on Cooper during his rookie season and now, it’s up to him to showcase his potential and live up to the expectations. Do you think he can do it?