Dylan Harper, left, and Cooper Flagg gather for a photo before the start of the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
The 2025 NBA season is tipping off with a rare spectacle: a matchup between the top two picks of the draft, Cooper Flagg and Filipino American guard Dylan Harper, in what will be their first official regular-season games.
The duel is historic in its own right. According to NBA PR on X, the Flagg–Harper meeting “is set to mark the second time since 1966 that the top two picks in the same NBA Draft will face each other in the first career regular-season game for both players.”
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The last occurrence was a decade ago, when Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell clashed in 2015.
The Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs are set to collide on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 9:30 a.m. (PH time), giving fans an early look at what could become one of the league’s most exciting and anticipated rivalries.
While Opening Night falls on Oct. 21, both Flagg’s Mavericks and Harper’s Spurs will take the stage the following evening. If both players are healthy, it will be only the second such occurrence in NBA history, adding even more weight to this early-season encounter.
The pair have already shared the court in the NBA Summer League, where Harper’s Spurs claimed a 76-69 win. Harper’s debut made waves, not only marking the start of his professional journey but potentially igniting a rivalry that could headline the NBA for years to come.
With both players carrying superstar potential and fanbases eager for a generational clash, the Oct. 23 showdown is shaping up to be the beginning of a new chapter in basketball history.
Harper’s father is five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, whose veteran presence anchored multiple title runs with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. His older brother, Ron Harper Jr., also made “hoops” at Rutgers and is currently signed with the Detroit Pistons organization.
