Duke Blue Devils' No. 1 recruit Cooper Flagg has taken over conversations this weekend with his incredible performance at Team USA's Olympics scrimmage. With the Select Team, the 6-foot-9 forward held his ground against several NBA stars, impressing fans, players and others present.
Flagg drew praise from many, including Phoenix Suns megastar Kevin Durant. The $300 million worth (per CelebrityNetWorth) 14-time NBA All-Star said in an interview with The Washington Post's Ben Golliver on Tuesday:
"From the sideline, he looked like a hell of a player, somebody that's going to only get better with more experience. 17 years old, coming in here and playing like he's a vet, almost. No emotion, just out there doing his job. That's a good sign."
Cooper Flagg was also seen receiving a warm hug from LA Lakers icon LeBron James after the scrimmage.
Kevin Durant makes a bold prediction about Cooper Flagg's future in the NBA
During his senior year, Cooper Flagg led his team at Montverde Academy to a perfect 33-0 record and a Chipotle High School National Championship. He averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 blocks per contest.
Flagg also represented the U.S. when he participated and won gold in the 2022 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup. He was named 2022 USA Basketball's Male Athlete of the Year, the youngest winner since the award's inception in 1980.
Kevin Durant has been following Flagg's game all this time, and in an interview with Boardroom Cover Story, he said:
"See, young dudes is hard to truly understand when you're playing against a high school competition. You don't know who's the best of the best and all knows the best version of that competition. But the intangibles that he has, and his measurables, and his raw talent, I can see that through the TV.
"When you're 6'10", and then come running up and down the floor like that, and got the instincts with the basketball like that, you're only going to— if you work at it, and you care, and you're consistent with who you are, like I said, showing up every day— if you show up every day, and be the best that you can be, I think Cooper Flagg could be one of the best players in the league for 15 years."
[From 53:43]
Before venturing into the NBA, Cooper Flagg has at least one year of college basketball with Duke. There is heavy expectation for the forward as the Blue Devils look to avenge their Elite Eight loss from last season and finally give the school its championship.
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