Cooper Flagg surpasses Kevin Durant on all-time NBA list

Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Cooper Flagg has officially moved past Kevin Durant on the NBA's all-time teenage scoring list.

The 19-year-old entered Wednesday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs tied with Durant for fourth place.

Both players had 1,624 points scored as teenagers.

Flagg broke the tie with a basket against the Spurs, according to ESPN Insights on X.

He now sits alone in fourth place with 1,625 points.

Flagg was born on December 21, 2006, meaning he won't turn 20 until later this year.

He has 17 games remaining before that birthday.

The list of NBA players who have scored the most points before turning 20 is short and elite.

LeBron James leads with 2,362 points as a teenager.

Kobe Bryant is second with 1,759 points.

Cooper Flagg — the player himself — is third with 1,725 points.

That's right: Flagg is already ahead of his own younger self on the list, because the tally counts only points scored before age 20, and he's still adding to it.

Kevin Durant now sits in fifth place with 1,624 points.

Flagg's sophomore season averages are 25.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game.

Those numbers are far above what most teenagers produce in the NBA.

The Mavericks are benefiting directly from his rise.

Flagg entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

He has quickly become the centerpiece of Dallas's offense and a legitimate superstar.

His scoring output as a teenager has drawn comparisons to the greatest players in league history.

LeBron James set the teenage scoring record during his first two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kobe Bryant put up his numbers as a teenager in his early years with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Durant achieved his total during his rookie season with the Seattle Supersonics.

Flagg is on pace to challenge both Bryant and James if he maintains his current scoring rate.

If he averages 25 points per game over the next 17 contests, he would add 425 points to his teenage total.

That would push him to approximately 2,050 points — enough to move past Bryant into second place.

He would still trail LeBron James, but the gap would shrink significantly.

Wednesday night's game against the Spurs was not Flagg's best performance.

He scored 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting through the third quarter.

It followed a rough outing on Monday against the Sacramento Kings.

In that game, Flagg scored 17 points but shot just 3-of-19 from the field.

The Mavericks lost that game as well.

Slumps are normal for any player, especially one as young as Flagg.

He has plenty of time to bounce back and continue climbing the list.

The Mavericks have 17 games left before Flagg turns 20.

That leaves a narrow window for him to pad his teenage statistics.

After his birthday, any points he scores will no longer count toward the teenage record.

The all-time teenage scoring list is a unique measure of precocious talent.

Only a handful of players have ever scored more than 1,000 points before turning 20.

Flagg has already doubled that threshold.

His trajectory suggests he could become one of the highest-scoring teenagers in NBA history.

The list does not include players from the ABA or earlier professional leagues.

It is strictly based on NBA regular-season games.

Flagg's rise has been one of the most closely watched stories of the season.

The Mavericks traded Luka Doncic in the summer of 2025, clearing the way for Flagg to take over.

He has responded by leading the team in scoring and playmaking.

Dallas currently sits in playoff contention in the Western Conference.

Flagg's individual success is translating into team success.

The comparison to Durant is especially meaningful.

Durant is a two-time NBA champion, a league MVP, and a 14-time All-Star.

He is widely considered one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.

Flagg passing him on any list — even a niche one — signals the kind of potential the young guard possesses.

Durant, now with the Houston Rockets, scored 21 points in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.