As his rookie season approaches, all signs indicate that the hype around Mavericks No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg is real.
A stroke of lottery luck helped Dallas land one of the most heralded NBA Draft prospects in history, and he got out to a ripping start in Mavs colors during his pro debut at the NBA's Summer League. Now, Flagg's virtual counterpart has an elite standing next to those other elite prospects.
Flagg has a unique opportunity for a No. 1 pick, as he's expected to be a key piece for a team that hopes to contend for a title. He also steps into a situation next to two other former No. 1 overall picks in Kyrie Irving (2011) and Anthony Davis (2012).
With Flagg appearing in the NBA 2K series for the first time, how does the hype impact his rating? And how does that rating compare to his teammates and other notable first overall picks in the past? Check it out below.
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Cooper Flagg NBA 2K26 rating
Flagg will begin NBA 2K6 with an overall rating of 82, the game announced on Tuesday, Aug. 12. The rookie's rating places him at 79th overall among the game's top 100 players.
Dallas' top pick enters the league after an outstanding freshman season at Duke, as he lived up to the hype as the best collegiate NBA Draft prospect in years.
Flagg led the Blue Devils to the Final Four with averages of 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, and took home several National Player of the Year awards, including the Naismith Award, Wooden Award, and AP Player of the Year.
Notably, Flagg is the only rookie to begin with a rating above 80 in this year's game. No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper will start as a 78, No. 5 overall pick Ace Bailey is a 77, No. 3 overall pick V.J. Edgecombe was given a 76, and there is a tie at fifth between Kon Knueppel and Tre Johnson, both of whom begin their journeys at 75 overall.
The future is bright 🤩
Here are the Top 10 rookies entering the League in #NBA2K26 pic.twitter.com/EeQOe6zIAx
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) August 12, 2025
MORE:Grading Cooper Flagg's Summer League performance in Las Vegas
Highest NBA 2K rating for No. 1 pick
Flagg is one of just nine rookies to begin with a rating of 80 or higher in the history of the NBA 2K series, which dates back to 1999.
Kenyon Martin, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, has the highest rookie rating in the game's history, as he began NBA 2K1 as an 86 overall. It is worth noting that over the years, the game's methods of rating players have evolved, making it notable that two of the three highest-rated rookies in NBA 2K history were in the game's first and second iterations.
Flagg has the second-highest rookie rating in the last 25 games (since NBA 2K2), behind only Victor Wembanyama's 84 in NBA 2K24. Here is every No. 1 pick to earn a rating of 80 or higher in their NBA 2K debut.
Year Game Player Rating
2000 NBA 2K1 Kenyon Martin 86
2023 NBA 2K24 Victor Wembanyama 84
1999 NBA 2K Elton Brand 83
2025 NBA 2K26 Cooper Flagg 82
2010 NBA 2K11 John Wall 81
2019 NBA 2K20 Zion Williamson 81
2007 NBA 2K8 Greg Oden 80
2008 NBA 2K9 Derrick Rose 80
2017 NBA 2K18 Markelle Fultz 80
2021 NBA 2K22 Cade Cunningham 80
MORE:How Cooper Flagg fits with Mavs' duo of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving
All-time No. 1 pick NBA 2K ratings
Here's a look at the first NBA 2K ratings for each No. 1 pick in the game's history. Martin (86) leads the way as the highest, while Kwame Brown (71) owns the lowest.
It is worth noting that Yao Ming was not featured on NBA 2K3 as a rookie because the necessary paperwork was not completed before the game's roster cut-off date.
As such, Yao stands as the only No. 1 pick to not appear in the game as a rookie, though Kyrie Irving needed to be patched into NBA 2K12 as a result of the league's 2011 lockout.
Year Game Player Rating
1999 NBA 2K Elton Brand 83
2000 NBA 2K1 Kenyon Martin 86
2001 NBA 2K2 Kwame Brown 71
2002 NBA 2K3 Yao Ming (Not in game) N/A
2003 ESPN NBA Basketball LeBron James 78
2004 ESPN NBA 2K5 Dwight Howard 74
2005 NBA 2K6 Andrew Bogut 79
2006 NBA 2K7 Andrea Bargnani 73
2007 NBA 2K8 Greg Oden 80
2008 NBA 2K9 Derrick Rose 80
2009 NBA 2K10 Blake Griffin 77
2010 NBA 2K11 John Wall 81
2011 NBA 2K12 Kyrie Irving 76
2012 NBA 2K13 Anthony Davis 79
2013 NBA 2K14 Anthony Bennett 76
2014 NBA 2K15 Andrew Wiggins 77
2015 NBA 2K16 Karl-Anthony Towns 78
2016 NBA 2K17 Ben Simmons 79
2017 NBA 2K18 Markelle Fultz 80
2018 NBA 2K19 Deandre Ayton 79
2019 NBA 2K20 Zion Williamson 81
2020 NBA 2K21 Anthony Edwards 77
2021 NBA 2K22 Cade Cunningham 80
2022 NBA 2K23 Paolo Banchero 78
2023 NBA 2K24 Victor Wembanyama 84
2024 NBA 2K25 Zaccharie Risacher 75
2025 NBA 2K26 Cooper Flagg 82