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Cooper Flagg Wins Rookie of Year, All-Rookie First Team

5/21/2026

31 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Cooper Flagg Wins Rookie

Cooper Flagg won Rookie of the Year and an All-Rookie First Team spot.
Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and shot 46.8% overall in 70 games.
Kon Knueppel was runner-up with 386 points, averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and set a record with 273 three-pointers.
VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper and Cedric Coward joined the First Team while Ace Bailey and Jeremiah Fears made the Second Team.

Summary

Edgecombe Wins MVP

VJ Edgecombe was named MVP of the NBA Rising Stars game at the 2026 All-Star weekend.
He became the first Sixers rookie on the All-Rookie First Team since 2017-18.
Edgecombe’s 34-point debut set a franchise record, surpassing marks held by Allen Iverson and LeBron James.
Despite his strong regular-season play, the Sixers were swept in the second round by the New York Knicks.

Summary

Coward Earns All-Rookie

The Grizzlies traded up from No. 16 to draft Cedric Coward, who made the All-Rookie First Team.
He finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting with 29 votes, and recorded 28 points and 16 rebounds on Dec 30 vs the 76ers.
He became the seventh Grizzlies player to earn All-Rookie honors—a franchise record—averaging 13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 62 games, and joined the 2026 Rising Stars roster.

History

Historical Context

Since its 1953 inception, the NBA Rookie of the Year—now the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy—has highlighted impact newcomers, exemplified when Grant Hill shared the 1994-95 award after averaging 19.9 points for the Pistons. In 2026, Cooper Flagg captured the honor for the Mavericks, continuing the league’s trend of using rookie success to shape franchise strategies.

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Cooper Flagg Wins Rookie

Cooper Flagg won Rookie of the Year and an All-Rookie First Team spot.
Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and shot 46.8% overall in 70 games.
Kon Knueppel was runner-up with 386 points, averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and set a record with 273 three-pointers.
VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper and Cedric Coward joined the First Team while Ace Bailey and Jeremiah Fears made the Second Team.

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