Maine’s Own Cooper Flagg Debuts in NBA Tonight, Here’s How to Watch

The NBA season is officially underway, which means its time for the 'Maine Event' to take center stage.

Newport native and basketball phenom Cooper Flagg officially makes his NBA regular season debut with the Dallas Mavericks tonight, in a home game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Cooper Flagg Makes His NBA Debut with the Dallas Mavericks Tonight

Fans from Maine, Duke University, and across the country will finally get to see Flagg in action against NBA superstars, in a game that counts in the standings.

Flagg was the first overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, following an outstanding season at Duke. He led a Blue Devils team that made it all the way to the Final Four. Impressively, he led the team in points (19.2 per game), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), steals (1.4), and blocks (1.4). That’s simply unheard of. It’s one thing to top a few major categories, but all of them? That’s serious baller status.

READ MORE: Maine’s Portland Hearts of Pine Are Playoff Bound in Debut Season

The rookie backed that up with solid play in this year’s preseason, averaging 11.25 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game in limited minutes. Most importantly, he absolutely looked the part. This is a kid who’s mature well beyond his years.

How to Watch Cooper Flagg in His NBA Debut

Tip-off is at 9:30 p.m. tonight and will be aired nationally on ESPN. It’s the first of 23 nationally televised games for Flagg and the Mavs this year, a solid number for a team that still has a lot to prove. But with a roster featuring Flagg, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving (once he returns from injury), expectations for competitiveness are high.

Best of luck to Flagg as he takes this next step—the biggest one yet—in his career. It’s equal parts incredible and surreal to watch a kid from Maine continue climbing the ladder of basketball stardom. He’s certainly making an entire state proud.

Go Mavs!