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Allen Iverson offers advice for Cooper Flagg: "You do that, then everything will take care of itself"
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- Allen Iverson offers advice for Cooper Flagg: "You do that, then everything will take care of itself"
With the Dallas Mavericks opening their season with back-to-back losses, the narrative surrounding the team and Cooper Flagg is shifting. After most people were so high on him before the start of the 2025-26 campaign, some believers turned into doubters, even regarding the 2025 No. 1 overall pick.
However, Allen Iverson advised Flagg not to listen to the outside noise. Instead, he wants him to use every practice and every game to improve as a player.
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"Take it one day at a time," Iverson told TMZ Sports. "You know, don't be too harsh on yourself. Just get better and better every day. And I think the most important thing, and I think this will take care of everything when it comes to everything on the basketball court, is playing every game like it's your last. You know what I mean? You do that, and everything will take care of itself."
The effort is there
At six feet tall, Iverson made up for what he lacked in size with effort every single time he stepped on the court. He didn't just play hard — he played relentlessly, never easing up or taking a play off. That mindset was the key to Iverson's NBA success.
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No one is questioning Flagg's effort — he's proven he's very competitive even before entering the NBA. However, it still hasn't translated into numbers, at least based on the standards some people hold him to as the first pick of this year's NBA draft.
In his NBA debut against the San Antonio Spurs , Flagg, starting at point guard, finished with 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting. He had a better performance against the Washington Wizards — 18 points, five rebounds and six assists — but it wasn't enough for the Mavericks to secure their first win of the season.
Flagg described his NBA debut as "Not great." He was also unhappy after his team fell to 0-2 on the season. But Iverson doesn't want him to be too hard on himself.
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"Off the court, just be smart and have the best support system that you can have around you. People that you can trust, people that believe in you and have your best interest at heart," Iverson added.
Flagg's mom is his manager
Iverson had his share of issues on the basketball court. But his bigger problem was away from it. He went bankrupt a few years after retirement and took him several years to get his feet back on the ground. So, he knows what he's talking about when giving his second piece of advice.
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That said, Flagg is in good hands because it's his mother, Kelly, who acts as his manager.
Before the Mavericks drafted Cooper, his mother and son had an interview with "Chime", and she immediately proved her worth as a manager when she told her son not to buy a Bugatti car right away, setting a $180,000 limit on his first car purchase .
Having Kelly watching over his off-court ventures is already a huge advantage to Cooper. So all he has to worry about right now is getting settled into his role on the Mavericks. Once that happens, everything should run much smoother in his NBA career.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
