In a room full of NBA superstars, it was a kid fresh out of high school who stole the show at a U.S. Olympic basketball team practice Monday.
17-year-old Cooper Flagg showed off his skills against some of the NBA’s best defenders, including Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and Bam Adebayo, to name a few, in a stunning display that stole headlines.
The Duke freshman was part of the select team invited to practice against the Olympic team during its training camp and Flagg already looked like he belonged there.
“It was a great opportunity,” Flagg said. “It was a blessing to be here.”
“I think that, just physically and the level I want to reach, there is a lot that I have to improve, a lot that I have to continue to improve. This showed how important the details are.”
The star of the U.S. basketball team’s Olympic practice on Monday was Cooper Flagg
Flagg, who is a freshman entering Duke, beat out players like NBA champion Jrue Holiday (R)
It will probably get better. It may be a scary thought.
“He kicked ass here,” said USA Select Team coach Jamahl Mosley of the Orlando Magic.
“There’s a respect factor for what he’s done. People who haven’t seen him play, when he gets going in the game, they quickly see what he can do.”
The select team is usually made up of young NBA players, hired to coach the national team and help it prepare for World Cup or Olympic competition.
Flagg was the first college player to be asked to make the select team since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart were asked to join a minicamp in 2013.
But those situations were nowhere near the same as Flagg being part of this camp. McDermott had played 110 college games for Creighton at that point and was a two-time consensus All-American.
Smart was coming off a freshman season when he won Big 12 Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors at Oklahoma State. They were already proven.
Flagg doesn’t have any college points, but he still showed a lot in this camp.
Cooper Flagg (31) dunks a ball over Miami Heat defender and star Bam Adebayo (13)
Flagg said he was “really excited about this opportunity,” adding, “It was a blessing to be here.”
“He wants it,” said American guard Devin Booker. “I know he’s going to take this experience and move forward.”
In Monday’s scrimmage (the Olympic team beat the draft team 74-73), Flagg was in the middle of it all the way and looked perfectly comfortable.
And when it was over, there were plenty of photos with everyone; the select team’s last day at camp was Monday, though some may be invited to stay to continue helping the Olympic team.
“To be able to do what he did, without even playing a college game, let alone an NBA game, there’s nothing scary about it,” Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. said. “He’s relentless. And what you can say about him is he has a gift and a will to win.”
“He doesn’t need the ball. He just finds a way to get to it. And the ball finds a way to him. That’s something you can’t teach. He just has a great sense of the game.”
Flagg is a 6-foot-9 forward from Newport, Maine, but played his final three years of high school basketball at Montverde Academy in Florida.
Flagg (31) shakes hands with USA Basketball head coach Steve Kerr after practice.
Three generations of Duke basketball players (from left): Jayson Tatum, Grant Hill and Flagg
He chose Duke over Connecticut, was USA Basketball’s 2022 Male Athlete of the Year after leading the Americans to gold at the Under-17 World Cup, and was the Gatorade National Player of the Year, Naismith Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American in his senior season of high school.
“I was shocked, surprised and very excited by this opportunity,” Flagg said. “And I feel really blessed to have been able to go out and take advantage of it and prove what I’ve got. I’m very grateful to have been able to go out and learn.”
“For me, the most important thing was being able to learn and grow, sharing a gym with all these big names, legends. I feel really blessed.”