LAS VEGAS — Cooper Flagg’s series of plays against the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team elicited effusive praise on the Internet.
Inside the gym where the scrimmage took place, there were Olympians, future Hall of Famers, NBA and college coaches and team executives who raved about Flagg’s performance as he practiced and played scrimmages against the U.S. Olympic team for three days in preparation for the U.S. Select Team.
He knocked down a 3-pointer over All-NBA Defensive player Anthony Davis, then on the next try, he knocked down a putback and and-one over fellow All-Defensive player Bam Adebayo, then he knocked down another 3-pointer over Davis and a short turnaround jumper over this season’s All-Defensive player July Holiday.
And Flagg is only 17 years old.
Fresh out of high school, Flagg is the No. 1 high school player for the 2023-24 season, will play at Duke University this season and is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Cooper played like the team he belongs to and acted like the team he belongs to.
“It just comes from my mindset,” he said in response to a question from USA Today. “When the ball goes up, I’m always just trying to win, so I’m just a competitor and that’s it. It’s a little bit of an adjustment to be on the court with those guys, but at the same time, I’m just trying to play basketball and win.”
He was the only U.S. player not in or who had ever played in the NBA.
“I’m confident in my abilities and my skills, so at the end of the day I’m confident in who I am and what I can do so I just came here to play basketball,” Flagg said. “I’m blessed to have this opportunity and be here so I wasn’t worried, just knowing I could go out there and compete.”
“I’m here for a reason, so I didn’t put any pressure on myself.”
For Flagg, the “awe” of being on the court with LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum didn’t last long. “Once the ball went up, the awe went away,” he said. “At first, I walked in the gym and saw a lot of the guys, but once the games started, not so much.”
An NBA team staffer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about Flagg, praised Flagg’s position size (6-foot-9, 205 pounds), ball skills, basketball IQ, confidence and court presence.
Flagg averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.7 blocks and 1.6 steals while shooting 54.8 percent from the field at Montverde Academy in Florida in 2023-24. He was named the Gatorade and Naismith High School Player of the Year in 2024. Flagg downplays the pressure, but there’s a growing view that he could be the next great American-born basketball player.
So what did Flagg learn from the three days of practice?
“It’s just about fitness, knowing how far I have to go,” he said. “There’s a lot to work on, seeing it in real time and how well they do the little things. So, I’ve just got to embrace it and learn from it and get better.”
After a scrimmage on the final day of U.S. National Team training camp, Flagg posed for photos with the National Team, Olympic Team and former Duke players Chip Engelland (assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder), Jayson Tatum (all-star with the Boston Celtics) and Grant Hill (managing director of the USA men’s national basketball team).
The 2027 FIBA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games still seem far away, and Flagg has yet to play a single college basketball game, but those events are on his mind.
“That’s what I’m aiming for, just to do the best I can. If I can achieve that and make the World Cup team in (three) years, that’s another goal on my list,” he said.
