Why the Mavericks made this guy the face of their Cooper Flagg sweepstakes win

Rolando Blackman is an NBA legend, but that’s not completely why he’s here

When an NBA team wins the draft lottery, suddenly the person they sent to represent them becomes the face of a momentous occasion. That person’s job description goes from “sit there, smile, hope for the best” to “pose for a bunch of photos, do a bunch of interviews, and become forever associated with this franchise-changing stroke of luck.”

In the case of the Dallas Mavericks in 2025, that effect is particularly pronounced.