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The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Cooper Flagg will go No 1 in the NBA draft. He also broke the Duke supervillain stereotype
The NBA draft takes place on Wednesday night, and Cooper Flagg – the phenom out of Maine – is the clearcut, consensus No 1 pick, held by the Dallas Mavericks. And it's not just his game that's earned him near-universal praise; it's the way he carries himself. In his freshman year at Duke, Flagg accomplished something remarkable: he became the first player in the last 25 years to tally 500 points, 100 assists, and 30 blocks in a single ACC regular season. He led the Blue Devils to both the ACC Championship and the Final Four, averaging 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. But stats alone don't capture the 18-year-old's impact. He was relentless on both ends of the floor – disruptive with cat-like reflexes, explosive with athleticism, and committed to the little things: diving for loose balls, celebrating teammates, talking trash, flexing after dunks, and scoring from anywhere on the court. Flagg dominated college basketball and has been universally praised all season, even by those who have historically hated everything Duke. The question is why? Why is Cooper Flagg embraced by all and not hated like most white Duke superstars? First, it's worth looking at WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark. There has been speculation that racial animosity and jealousy is at play due to the fact that Clark is excelling in the traditionally Black space of the WNBA. But there seems to be no accusations of backlash, jealousy or animosity against other elite white WNBA players such as Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird, Kelsey Plum, Diana Taurasi, Sabrina Ionescu and Paige Bueckers. So what makes Clark different? One could argue it's less about her race and more about her demeanor. Take, for example, her recent game against the Connecticut Sun. When Jacy Sheldon told Clark, 'You can't do that,' Clark fired back with a defiant stare and snapped, 'I can do whatever the [expletive] I wanna do,' before shoving her. She's also been seen repeatedly yelling at referees – often without receiving a technical. Fox Sports' Nick Wright put it plainly: she 'picks fights, then plays the victim.' Podcaster Trysta Kick said on her show, that it 'kind of feels like Caitlin Clark is one more cheap shot away from becoming the villain everyone tried to make her out to be her rookie year. She's about to become the female Bane' These sentiments have brought an unfortunate cloud of resentment over the head of an incredibly talented player. Not for her color, but more for her exhibited attitude (in addition to the portion of her fanbase who use her to further their own bigotry and racism, something Clark has consistently pushed back on). Flagg, by contrast, has neither been used as a symbol of bigotry and hate, nor has he exhibited any of the on court demeanor of Clark. Even after a questionable over-the-back call against Houston in the Final Four of this year's NCAA Tournament – a moment that helped end Duke's season – he didn't pout or throw a tantrum. Sure, he looked frustrated, but he quickly moved on. This is part of what makes Flagg so admired. He's not just appreciated across fanbases; he's practically celebrated – something that's been historically unthinkable for many white Duke superstars. That distinction matters. Because very few people hated Duke stars such as Grant Hill, Elton Brand, Nolan Smith, Sheldon Williams, Paolo Banchero, Kyrie Irving, Quinn Cook, Carlos Boozer and Marvin Bagley III. But when it comes to many white Duke stars, the vitriol has been almost a rite of passage. Let's look at some of the most well known. Grayson Allen: The Dirty Player Allen gained a reputation for cheap shots and dirty play – most notably for tripping opponents multiple times. After each incident, he'd act surprised, as if it were accidental. But the pattern was undeniable. He earned a suspension – and widespread hate. Flagg though? No dirty play. No theatrics. Just hard-nosed basketball. JJ Redick: The Arrogant Sharpshooter Redick, who is now the head coach of the Lakers, was a sniper on the court and a lightning rod off it when he was at Duke. While his shooting wowed fans, his apparent arrogance and media overexposure rubbed many the wrong way. He seemed to enjoy playing the villain – embracing the boos rather than trying to win over the crowd. Flagg, again, is different. Confident but not cocky. Intense but not Ferry: The Smug Prodigy Ferry was a great player – but also the blueprint for the 'rich, smug, entitled Duke kid' archetype. He slapped the floor on defense, barked at refs, and carried the swagger of a country club brat. Think Topper or Rafe from Outer Banks – golf shirts tucked in, collar popped, dripping with entitlement. Flagg? A humble kid from Maine, couldn't be further from that Laettner: The Ultimate Villain Laettner was so hated that ESPN even made a documentary on the subject. I met Laettner when we became NBA teammates, and the first thing I said to him was that I grew up hating him. He laughed and said, 'Yeah, all the brothas hate me.' I said, 'No, all jokes aside, I always said if I ever met you, I was going to punch you in the face on sight.' In a flash, he replied: 'Well, if you still feel that way after two months, I'll give you a free shot.' Turns out, Laettner was one of the coolest cats on the team. Later, when we were traded to the Washington Wizards together, his locker was right next to mine and we talked all the time. He was the nicest guy. Got along with everyone in the locker room. Played hard every night. Mentored the young guys. Encouraged young guys who were having a difficult transition to the NBA as many did, including myself. When guys back home asked about who I liked on the team and I would include Laettner, they'd always stop me short. The Christian Laettner? Duke Christian Laettner? The preppy, privileged Christian Laettner even white people hate? 'Yup,' I would say, 'and everything we thought about him all these years is wrong.' But at Duke, he was the perfect villain. On the court, he stomped on Kentucky's Aminu Timberlake and got a slap on the wrist. He elbowed, bumped, and jawed his way to villainy – and yet he was never punished. That's what made him Laettner. He got away with it, like Duke always did, and then had the privilege of hitting the game-winning shot. Flagg though? He's just not the guy Laettner was perceived to be by many when he was at Duke. He's not dirty, arrogant, smug or elitist. He doesn't whine, throw tantrums when he doesn't get his way, he doesn't flop, doesn't bark at refs or exude white privilege. He just hoops. And he respects the game. And when his name is called with the first pick for the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, there will be no hate, no eye rolls, no animosity, no boos, no: 'Oh I can't stand that white boy' there will be nothing but respect, and admiration for the player and the person he is. And that's not just about stats, that has just as much to do with his personality, his demeanor and how he carries himself. Etan Thomas played in the NBA from 2000 through 2011. He is a published poet, activist and motivational speaker
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Big Cooper Flagg Announcement Made on Wednesday
Big Cooper Flagg Announcement Made on Wednesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Wednesday marks a monumental day for Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg and the entire Flagg family. The 18-year-old, who grew up in the small town of Newport, Maine—where few athletes ever make it to the professional level—is about to see his dream become reality as the Dallas Mavericks prepare to select him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Advertisement Flagg has been taking part in all the pre-draft festivities in New York, with his entire family by his side. That includes his parents, his brother Ace, and even his grandparents, who made the trip to support him ahead of the big night. It's already a special moment for Flagg, but it got even bigger on Wednesday when Maine Governor Janet Mills reportedly declared June 25 as officially 'Flagg Day' in honor of Cooper. He now has a day in his home state named entirely after him. Cooper Flagg's extraordinary talent and dedication to basketball has earned him national acclaim as perhaps the most promising player of his generation. He is a source of tremendous pride for Maine,' said Governor Mills. 'I have proclaimed today as Cooper Flagg Day, so all the people of Maine can celebrate his achievement, hard work, perseverance, and sportsmanship, which should inspire youth across our state to pursue their dreams with Cooper's signature determination.' Cooper Flagg at the Combine on May 14, 2025.© David Banks-Imagn Images Flagg was viewed as the projected No. 1 overall pick even before he began his freshman season at Duke. Yet, despite the immense expectations placed on him, he somehow managed to exceed them—leaving no doubt that he's the top player on the board. Advertisement If he is indeed selected by the Mavericks, Flagg would join NBA legends Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and former Duke star Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks had just a 1.8% chance of landing the No. 1 pick during May's draft lottery, but defied the odds and secured it—with every intention of making Flagg the future face of their franchise for years to come. Related: Cooper Flagg Names His 3 Favorite NBA Players to Watch Without Hesitation This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Hornets take Duke guard Kon Knueppel with No. 4 pick in 2025 NBA draft
welcome to the 704, @Kon2Knueppel! 🐝@CorcoranHM | 🔗 With the fourth overall pick on Wednesday, the Charlotte Hornets selected Kon Knueppel from Duke in the 2025 NBA draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Knueppel was a second-team All-ACC selection after averaging 14.4 points, four rebounds, 2.7 assists and one steal in 39 games on 40.6% shooting from 3-point range. He scored in double figures in all but seven games, including a season-high 28 points and eight assists on March 13. The 6-foot-6 guard was once viewed as a potential lottery pick, but climbed boards throughout the predraft process to become a top-five selection. He was selected three picks after Blue Devils teammate Cooper Flagg went No. 1 overall to the Dallas Mavericks. Knueppel ranked seventh in the country in free-throw percentage (91.4), eighth in offensive rating (133.7) and ninth in win shares (6.9) last season. He was also tied for the ninth-most appearances after helping the Blue Devils to the Final Four. The 19-year-old was highly touted in the draft because of his shooting and ability to facilitate offenses. But it is his floor spacing that will be coveted at the next level after the ACC tournament MVP established himself as perhaps the top shooter in the draft. Knueppel projects to provide the Hornets with another young player they can build around next to the likes of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Mark Williams. After becoming one of the top players at Duke, Knueppel won't have to go very far to join his next team.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
NBA Draft 2025: Projected Contracts For Cooper Flagg And Other First-Round Picks
If there was any doubt that Cooper Flagg would be the first player selected in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night, it was dispelled within minutes of the event kicking off. Shortly after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced the 18-year-old star from Newport, Maine, as the Dallas Mavericks' selection at No. 1 overall, Flagg walked across the stage at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, exuding a quiet confidence that suggested he was right where he belonged. After all, Flagg has had scouts hyperventilating over his seemingly limitless talent for years—all through high school and across his lone season at Duke University, where he won the Naismith National Player of the Year Award as a freshman and led the Blue Devils to an ACC championship and a Final Four berth. Now, Flagg is getting his reward for those exploits. As the first pick in the draft, he will likely be guaranteed more than $60 million in salary over the first four years of his NBA career. And if Flagg, who has been compared to past teen phenoms LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama as a franchise-altering No. 1 draft choice, fulfills that promise, his rookie contract will look like a bargain. Based on the NBA's rookie salary scale, Flagg can expect to earn almost $14 million in his first season of professional basketball, a smidge below the $14.5 million average salary of the 354 players in the league already signed for the 2025-26 season, according to contract database Spotrac. The top pick in the draft is slotted for $11.5 million, but teams are allowed to surpass that value by as much as 20%, or dip below it by the same percentage. At least the last two top draft picks have come in above the slot value: Wembanyama, taken by the San Antonio Spurs in 2023, and Zaccharie Risacher, who joined the Atlanta Hawks in 2024, after both played professionally in France. (Wembanyama, now 21, pulled in $12.2 million in his rookie season, the first of a four-year deal worth more than $55 million, including options. Risacher, 20, slightly exceeded those figures, collecting $12.6 million in 2024-25 salary as part of his four-year, $57 million contract.) NBA rookie salaries haven't always worked that way. The league first implemented a predetermined pay structure for rookies in 1995, a year after No. 1 pick Glenn Robinson followed a stellar senior season at Purdue by signing a ten-year, $68 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. In the first draft with the new guidelines, which severely restricted agents' ability to negotiate salaries for incoming players, Maryland's Joe Smith was slotted to earn $2 million in his first year with the Golden State Warriors, according to RealGM. (The NFL followed suit by capping rookie compensation in 2011, leaving 2025 top pick Cam Ward to sign a four-year, $48.8 million contract with the Tennessee Titans—less than the six-year, $78 million deal Sam Bradford got from the then-St. Louis Rams 15 years earlier.) For first-year players in the NBA, pay has climbed quite a bit in the decades since Smith's name was called, with the rookie scale rising alongside the salary cap, which is tied to league revenue. In March, the NBA reportedly informed teams that it expected the salary cap to increase 10% to $154.6 million for 2025-26, from $140.6 million this past season. Under that projection, which is typically finalized before free agency opens in July, Flagg could earn nearly $63 million on the court through the first four seasons of his NBA career. The league's collective bargaining agreement guarantees the first two years for first-round picks while teams are granted consecutive options for the third and fourth years. Salaries also incrementally increase throughout the life of the contract. Flagg won't be the only rookie cashing in, either. Every first-round selection in this year's draft is projected to earn a seven-figure salary, although each slot has a diminishing value. The Nos. 2 and 3 picks, if maxed out, could receive $56.1 million and $50 million across the life of their four-year deals. Meanwhile, the 30th selection in the first round is projected to make $14 million over the same duration, with $2.7 million coming in the first season. Yet even with tens of millions coming Flagg's way, this first deal represents the tip of the financial iceberg for the newest Maverick. He has already built an impressive collection of off-court partners, working with New Balance, Fanatics and Gatorade. And as media rights fees skyrocket—last year, the NBA signed a new 11-year, $76 billion broadcast package—the potential to earn on the court seems limitless. In 2026-27, Warriors guard Stephen Curry is slated to become the first player with an annual salary exceeding $60 million, and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will break the $70 million barrier in 2029-30. James leads all NBA players with career on-court earnings that will cross $580 million this season, according to Spotrac tracking—but he will also be earning at least $50 million for the first time in 23 NBA seasons. Tatum, by comparison, is hitting that milestone in his ninth year. According to Spotrac estimates, Flagg could one day be eligible for a five-year, $359 million supermax extension that starts in 2029, and then another five-year, $509 million deal that concludes the year he turns 32. Or to put his opportunity another way, in the words of New Balance marketing executive Naveen Lokesh, 'Cooper is slated, if he does what he's supposed to do, to probably reap over $1 billion on the court.' More from Forbes Forbes How New Balance Went From 'Dad Shoe' To Scoring The No. 1 NBA Draft Prospect By Justin Birnbaum Forbes The Most Valuable NBA Teams 2024 By Justin Teitelbaum Forbes Here's How Much Shedeur Sanders' NFL Draft Slide Could Cost Him By Justin Birnbaum Forbes The Highest-Paid Players At The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup By Justin Birnbaum
CNN
3 days ago
- Sport
- CNN
Duke phenom Cooper Flagg goes to Dallas Mavericks with No. 1 overall pick in NBA draft
The Dallas Mavericks selected Duke University forward Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in Wednesday's NBA draft in Brooklyn, New York. The 18-year-old is the second youngest player ever to be drafted No. 1 overall. Only LeBron James was younger when he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. Flagg, the consensus 2024-2025 National College Player of the Year, cemented himself as one of the top players in college last season as a freshman. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals in 37 games for the Blue Devils, who lost in the men's basketball Final Four to the University of Houston in the final minutes. Flagg led Duke in all the five major statistical categories. Speaking to reporters on the eve of the draft, the 18-year-old phenom said it's a 'surreal' feeling to possibly be chosen No. 1. FLAGG CAPTURED!WELCOME TO DALLAS, COOPER! @Academy // #FlaggCaptured #MFFL 'It's incredible to be here, be in these moments. This is stuff I've dreamed about since I was a little kid, so I think being here is surreal,' Flagg said Tuesday. 'I don't think it's really set in yet or anything but I'm just trying to go through each moment and just enjoy it.' Flagg became the fourth freshman in NCAA history to win the Wooden Award, given to the nation's top player. The other three players were Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, who will be Flagg's teammate in Dallas, and Zion Williamson. In January, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said about his star, 'He's a savant with the game. He just really has an amazing understanding for what's required to win and how to elevate everyone around him.' Unlike most No. 1 overall picks, Flagg will be a part of an established and talented team, consisting of NBA champions Kyrie Irving, Davis and Klay Thompson. Dallas will look to reset its franchise with the Flagg selection after trading popular All-NBA guard Luka Dončić in February to the Los Angeles Lakers, sparking a huge amount of backlash from their fanbase. Tuesday, Flagg said he wouldn't feel any pressure in Dallas after the controversial Dončić trade. 'I'm just going to try to be myself all the time, and I'm going to push myself to be better and better every single day and make the most out of every day,' Flagg said. 'I'm not worried about living up to certain players' expectations or things like that. I'm just going to be myself and really just try to get better every single day that I can.' He added: 'I've heard it's an incredible fan base with incredible support, so I'll be excited to learn more about it and get down there.' Flagg is the fifth Blue Devil to go No. 1 overall in the last 30 years, joining Elton Brand (Chicago Bulls 1999), Irving (Cavaliers 2011), Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans 2019) and Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic 2022). Meanwhile in Flagg's home state of Maine, governor Janet Mills proclaimed June 25 as 'Cooper Flagg Day,' celebrating the Newport native's 'remarkable basketball achievement.' This is a developing story and will be updated.
