"The League Is In Good Hands": Steph Curry Gives Cooper Flagg His Flowers On Christmas Day

On Thursday, Steph Curry completed his own 12 days of Christmas as his personal total of December 25 games reached a dozen. Curry, who led the Golden State Warriors to a 126–116 victory, was in a giving mood as he talked about one of the league’s newest stars after the game.

Cooper Flagg, of course, would have preferred to gift the Dallas Mavericks with a win in his Christmas Day debut. Still, Flagg received a nice present in the form of complimentary words from the NBA’s all-time king of three-pointers.

“Just a true hooper and competitor. You forget how young he is,” Curry said of the Mavericks rookie. “Just his presence out there on the court…the future is bright.”

If Curry sounds like a big brother to Flagg, that’s because he got the chance to mentor this year’s top draft selection. When the Warriors superstar held his annual Curry Camp in 2023, one of the invitees was Flagg, who was then a Florida high school standout. Even then, the four-time NBA champion expressed his awe of the young prospect. “He almost plays like an NBA style,” Curry said at the time. “He is 16.”

Thursday night, the 17-year pro got to square off against his Curry Camp participant for the first time ever in a regular-season game. The two franchise players ended up top-scoring for their respective teams, with Curry putting up 23 points, three rebounds, and four assists, and Flagg finishing with 27 points, six boards, and five dimes.

Even as Flagg outdid him in terms of stat lines, Curry put on his mentor hat once more as he commented on the impact of this first-ever Christmas Day game for the 19-year-old. “I’m glad that he got this experience in his first year to understand what the bright lights feel like,” Curry added. 

There’s no telling how many Yuletide games are left to play in Curry’s storied career. But one thing’s for sure: As far as holiday traditions go, Flagg is just getting started.

“The league is in good hands,” Curry said.