Stephen A. Smith Explains Why He Thinks Mavericks Should Draft Cooper Flagg: 'He's White'

Stephen A. Smith believes it is a no-brainer what the Dallas Mavericks should do with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but not just for the reason you may think.

Smith tells Complex that the Mavericks should select Cooper Flagg because he not only could be a generational player that the organization can build around for years to come, but he’s also white. "Cooper Flagg is a tremendous player, and to be honest with you, he's white," he said. "And to be a superstar, potentially, who happens to be white in the United States of America is a big, big thing."

"If I am an owner of a team, in the sport of basketball, and I have an opportunity to have a superstar who's white, meaning, you think Larry Bird, you understand?," he continued. "You don't turn that down. You hold on to that. That's what I would do."

Stephen A. expanded on this take on ESPN earlier today, pointing to Flagg's potential marketability as a white athlete in the state of Texas.

The ESPN personality made sure to recognize that the 18-year-old is a "special talent" who "can play" before explaining that "Texas is different."

"[Dallas Cowboys owner] Jerry Jones taught me this," Stephen A. said. "Texas is different. And in Dallas, Texas, if you got an opportunity to get Cooper Flagg, you take Cooper Flagg."

According to Awful Announcing, Stephen A. later delivered a summation of what he was trying to get across, in regards to the Mavericks drafting Flagg.

"People love to misquote this show. I am in no way saying that you keep the number one overall pick just because Cooper Flagg is white," Smith said. "The first order of business is, he can ball. It’s because he can play, but the fact that he’s white, marketable, even his name makes him more marketable! I’m not passing that up at all."