LeBron James: Duke’s Cooper Flagg becomes “big-time player” for US basketball | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

LeBron James has high regard for Duke forward Cooper Flagg, the top prospect in the high school class of 2024 who will make his debut with the Blue Devils in October. In fact, James predicted that Flagg would excel on the international stage and would one day be a “big player” for Team USA.

James made his comments in response to a question during an exclusive interview conducted by Brian O’Keefe esquirewho asked, “When you, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry retire from international basketball, do you think the United States will still be able to beat the best in the rest of the world?”

“Yes, absolutely. It’s about the farm system and the continued support of the younger generation. And we have so much great talent in our league right now. They have Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum; You have Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren, these young guys are coming into the rankings; Cooper Flagg will be a big player here in the future. So there’s definitely a lot of great young talent aspiring to become an Olympic athlete.”

Flagg and the Select Team notably played against James and Team USA’s Olympic team in Las Vegas before the Americans went to Paris, compiled a 6-0 record and won the country’s fifth straight gold medal in men’s basketball at the Summer Games. The Select team almost managed a comeback, but narrowly failed at 74:73.

Flag received big praise for his efforts, so it’s no surprise that James, having seen him in person, offered even more here.

Flagg appears to be one of the NBA’s top draft prospects in recent memory. The hype certainly leads to that.

And he could very well live up to that hype and become a transformative player at the next level, one who turns around a franchise and becomes an international star like James did with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Here’s what Duke head coach Jon Scheyer, who won a national title with the Blue Devils in 2010, had to say about Flagg.

“I’ve seen a lot of different seasons, different hypes, different expectations,” Scheyer said, according to ESPN’s David Hale. “And with Cooper, I don’t know if we’ve ever had a 17-year-old that got so much hype and attention. We talk about all the things we can control and that’s what we focus on. Cooper, I don’t.” I don’t think he likes all the attention, to be honest. All he cares about is being like the others – he wants to win, wants to keep up. And he’s done a great job with it all.”

Currently, Flagg is the clear leading candidate for the No. 1 pick in the draft. Jonathan Wasserman said this in a mock draft for Bleacher Report after this year’s Olympics.

“There is no doubt that Flagg is the target of all rebuilding teams right now. Anticipation of his eligibility has been building for two years, and the hype/expectations reached new levels after he received rave reviews for his play and competitiveness against the U.S. Olympic squad last month.

“His identity revolves around two-way versatility and athleticism, but the gradual, consistent development on the ball that he has shown has raised the bar and his theoretical ceiling.”

“At the baseline, he will produce and impact plays simply by utilizing his special physical skills, IQ, signature defensive instincts and motor skills. But it’s the burgeoning creativity, pick-and-roll ball handling and shooting variety that will set Flagg apart at No. 1 and attract NBA superstar predictions.”

Maybe he’ll become an NBA superstar who goes on to become one of the faces of Team USA. He could well help lead the team at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

For now, however, Flagg leads the Blue Devils, who begin their season on Oct. 19 against Division II Lincoln University.