LAS VEGAS — Cooper Flagg, the 17-year-old Duke phenom, may have been the surprise star of U.S. National Team training camp, but the real twist was that the best player was 39-year-old LeBron James, an NBA legend more than twice his age.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and just a few months away from the start of his 22nd season, was voted the top representative player at the Olympic camp in a poll of camp attendees. Athletic.
“I told my brother after the first day, he’s only 40 years old, but I thought he was the best player on the court,” said Houston Rockets forward Ament Thompson, who was among the voters because he attended camp as a Select Team member.
The U.S. roster is packed with future Hall of Famers and has often been compared to the legendary 1992 Dream Team, but James won the voting with the most votes, five.
Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards and July Holiday received two votes each, while Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Bam Adebayo received one vote each.
In another question on the same survey, Flagg, who is two years younger than LeBron’s son and new Los Angeles Lakers teammate Bronny, received nine votes, by far the most among the selected team members.
“If I had to pick one guy (from the All-Star team), it would definitely be Cooper,” said Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., also a member of the All-Star team.
LeBron x Cooper Flagg 🤝
Selected team vs National team #USABMNT pic.twitter.com/OoYRIKQdtt
— NBA (@NBA) July 7, 2024
Athletic conducted this informal poll to determine the top U.S. player from the past two summer camps. For reference, in last year’s poll, Jaren Jackson Jr. was selected as the top player at U.S. National Team camp leading up to the World Cup.
This year’s vote was a little different: The participants were mostly players and coaches from a select group of young NBA players, G-Leaguers and flagship players who were gathered in Las Vegas for a three-day scrimmage against the Olympic team.
Last summer, the 12 American players who were selected for the World Cup team voted. This time around, with so many stars on the roster and increased media attention, access to Team USA players is not the same as it was before. Camp ended on Monday, and only three members of the national team were available for interviews. As such, national team members were not included in this year’s vote.
Instead, we asked their opponents.
As mentioned above, this was a preliminary vote, so players could vote for multiple teammates if they wanted.
“I’ve been most impressed with LeBron’s focus, Steph’s focus, guys who have been in this for so many years and still stay focused and still stay hungry,” Smith said.
Selectman and Orlando Magic coach Jamal Mosley said James exemplified the great leadership and poise he saw with the U.S. national team throughout camp.
“You can feel and see his presence on the court,” Mosley said, “exactly what he’s doing, how he’s communicating, how he’s talking, how he’s putting guys in position. What he continues to show is a level of focus on understanding each moment.”
So does that mean James shouldn’t come off the bench for this team?
Going deeper
LeBron James on the bench for the US team? Unlikely, but welcome to the modern-day Dream Team.
Kevin Durant did not attend camp because of a calf strain. Jayson Tatum did not arrive until Monday morning. Durant’s absence was filled by Edwards, who took the court with James, Embiid, Curry and Tatum in Monday’s scrimmage against select teams.
“I thought Ant played great on-ball defense,” said Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. “Steph was running around and hitting 3-pointers. I thought Bam was doing what he was supposed to do.”
Jim Boylen, assistant coach for both the All-Star team and the Indiana Pacers, had high praise for Embiid.
“I thought he was very poised and very skilled,” Boylen said. “He plays around the basket. He made 3-pointers. He can pass. He makes good decisions.”
“AD’s size definitely had a big impact on us,” New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy said of Davis.
“Jrew has made a big impact. He’s all over the place,” Detroit Pistons center and Select Team member Jalen Duren said of Holiday.
On the Select Team, Charlotte Hornets’ Brandon Miller received two votes and Golden State’s Brandon Podziemski received one.
“I think I won the first day of scrimmage, but Cooper won the second day,” Podziemski said.
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James is the best player on the U.S. national team, but he remained humble throughout this week, marveling at the star power that surrounds him.
Speaking to a small group of reporters inside the Bellagio on Sunday, he reflected on the specific thought of joining forces with the three greatest players of all time, Curry, Durant and Leonard, with whom he shared an NBA Finals stage.
“It just doesn’t seem real,” James said. “Every time I see the video, every time I see the video on social media of us going into the building, like yesterday, I saw all of us going into the building (together), and I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is crazy.'”
“It was like someone put together the greatest AAU team of all time. It was super cool. It was awesome. And being on the court with those guys just gave me even more respect for them.”
And as the younger players took notice, it motivated James to play at an elite level.
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(Photo: Mercedes Oliver/NBAE via Getty Images)
