"No mention of your Dallas home girl Paige Bueckers?" - WNBA fans stunned as Cooper Flagg snubs Hall of Famers on his Mount Rushmore list

On Friday, the NBA’s 2025 top draft pick, Cooper Flagg, held his introductory press conference at the Dallas Mavericks’ practice facility. Right away, Flagg’s words drew many reactions online, not only from NBA supporters but also from WNBA fans.

During the press conference, Flagg named his Mount Rushmore for both leagues. After picking Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant as his quartet of greatest NBA players, the Mavericks rookie went on to identify his WNBA picks.

"Candace Parker, Brittney Griner...I think A'ja Wilson is on there," Flagg said. "And then, I might put Caitlin Clark on there, just because she's changed the game so much and it’s heading in the right direction. And I just love what she’s been able to do."

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As with any subjective list of the sport’s all-time greats, Flagg’s selections drew passionate responses from fans who noted his omission of his fellow top draft pick in Dallas.

"No mention of your Dallas home girl Paige?!?!" one fan wondered.

Other fans pointed out one current Basketball Hall of Fame member and several Hall of Fame–bound players that Flagg didn’t mention. They also questioned his choice of one currently active WNBA player.

"No Cynthia Cooper?" one fan asked.

As the crown jewel of this year’s draft, Cooper Flaggwill face even more scrutiny as the Mavericks begin their new season. Clearly, even his opinions on the game’s legends attract a host of positive and negative reactions alike on social media.

Cooper Flagg speaks highly of Paige Bueckers at introductory press conference

Cooper Flagg, it should be noted, also spoke about Bueckers during the press conference.

"She's a great player," Flagg said of Bueckers. "She's had a great career, and she's a great person."

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Flagg went on to relay an anecdote about how he got to interact with this year’s WNBA top draft pick.

"I went on a visit to UConn, and I was able to meet her," the former Duke star recalled. "We talked a little bit. She's a great person."

After the press conference, Flagg watched Bueckers and the Wings take on the Indiana Fever at American Airlines Center.

About the author

Simoun Victor Redoblado is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over 12 years of experience writing for publications such as Collider, ALL-STAR Magazine, and Sir Charles in Charge.

Simoun has a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, Major in English and Minor in journalism. Thanks to the journalism courses that he took, Simoun understood the fundamentals of journalistic storytelling in the context of sports writing.

Passionate for the UP Fighting Maroons, Simoun is a fan of the NBA, PBA, UAAP, and FIBA.
His childhood team was the Chicago Bulls and Simoun was a longtime supporter of the Houston Rockets because his friends would say he looked like Yao Ming.

Simoun loves the systematic, tactical movement of the ball and the players, the stories behind each individual competing on the hardcourt and most of all, how basketball is a sport for life and all its struggles and lessons.

A father of two, Simoun spends his free time with his kids.

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Edited by Simoun Victor Redoblado