Overview
- Flagg won a close ballot as the NBA, which announced the award Tuesday, released totals showing 412 points for him to Kon Knueppel’s 386.
- Published voting splits showed 45 first-place votes for Flagg and 44 for Knueppel, underscoring how divided the 100-member panel was.
- The Mavericks staged a press conference in Dallas with coach Jason Kidd and teammates in attendance, and Flagg said he learned of the win on TV with his family at 6 p.m.
- Signature performances strengthened Flagg’s case late, including a 51-point game that made him the first teenager to hit 50 and a two-game, 96-point burst matched by only Wilt Chamberlain among rookies.
- Knueppel set the rookie record for made three-pointers and stayed on the floor all year, though cold shooting in Charlotte’s play-in games may have hurt his support with some voters.