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.
