Cooper Flagg is about to become a household name.
Flagg, the star incoming Duke freshman, played in a scrimmage against the Team USA basketball squad in Las Vegas on Monday, and eyewitnesses say he’s been very impressive.
“Cooper Flagg is dominating this USA scrimmage,” Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe wrote on X, noting that the Duke commit’s highlights included a 3-pointer over Anthony Davis, a turnaround jumper over Jrue Holiday and an and-one on a put-back.
Ben Golliver of the Washington Post added that Flagg had “taken over” the scrimmage and posted a video of Flagg’s shot over Davis and the and-one put-back.
When Flagg was named to the Select Team of Team USA’s scrimmage opponents, ESPN noted that he was the first college player to receive that honor since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart in 2013.
Both Smart and McDermott became lottery picks in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward from Maine who is ranked the top player in his class, is the early favorite to be the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
He turns 18 in December.
“As a former member of the USA Select Team, I know how important and fun this opportunity is for each of these players,” Grant Hill, the managing director of USA Basketball and a Duke alum and former top pick in his own right, said in a statement in June.
“There is a tremendous amount of talent on this Select squad with the significant job of helping the 2024 USA Men’s National Team as they begin their journey to the Olympics. Each of these athletes will play a role in our preparation as we also develop the national team pipeline for the future.”
Team USA’s basketball roster includes Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Jayson Tatum.
The head coach is Steve Kerr.
Team USA are -390 favorites to win the gold medal in the upcoming Paris Olympics according to the latest odds on DraftKings.