NBA fans reacted to one subtle comparison between Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg top Los Angeles Lakers superstar veteran LeBron James, following a recent viral video of Flagg doing an explosive dunk that sent fans into a frenzy.
Over at social media platform X, NBA fans reacted to one fan who drew a comparison between Mavs rookie Cooper Flagg and LeBron James during his rookie year with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“This reminds me of a certain Cavs rookie from long ago,” the fan said, sharing the video of Flagg’s recent explosive dunk during the Mavs’ game against the Houston Rockets.
This reminds me of a certain Cavs rookie from long ago pic.twitter.com/R1xXdfFWCY
— MaverickSZN 🇦🇺 (@Maverick_SZN) December 7, 2025

Another fan, meanwhile, also saw a Cavs rookie in Flagg, though it was not LeBron James.
“I do see some Tristan Thompson ngl,” the fan said.
When asked for further explanation, the original poster explained how they felt Flagg and James had similar energy inside the court in their rookie year.
“Not the same obviously, but the way people just get out of the way reminds me of early Bron,” they explained.
Recently, the Mavs held off a late rally to beat the Rockets in a tightly contested game that featured a standout duel between veteran Kevin Durant and rookie Cooper Flagg. Flagg energized the crowd with a dunk that shifted momentum and underscored his growing role for Dallas, drawing public praise from Durant, who lauded Flagg’s developing shot-making and ability to attack the rim.
“Just from watching his film he’s finally figuring it out. He can shoot the jump shot off the middy, he can shoot the 3, he can get to the rim. I love his game,” Durant said after the loss.
The victory moved Dallas to 9–16 as it seeks consistency amid a difficult stretch, while Houston fell to 15–6 but remains in the Western Conference’s upper tier.
NBA Fans Argued on LeBron James to Cooper Flagg Comparison
Over at X, NBA fans argued over one proposition that drew similarities between Cooper Flagg and LeBron James in his rookie year. For one fan, the level of physicality during James’s rookie year versus today is a huge difference already.

“The players getting out of the way these days are a lot different than the ones that were playing when they were getting out of LeBron’s way,” the fan said. “They are much smaller less physical perimeter players that mostly shoot three-pointers not physical post players.”
The players getting out of the way these days are a lot different than the ones that were playing when they were getting out of LeBron’s way. 😂They are much smaller less physical perimeter players that mostly shoot three-pointers not physical post players.
— George Costanza (@kd6698) December 7, 2025
Right now, the Mavs sit near the bottom of the Western Conference, and NBA fans are on the lookout for whether the franchise can still pull off a game-changing streak.

For more sports content:
Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for your NBA and college basketball reading fix. You can reach out to Dan Agulto through email at papadanph@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
