When the Big Ticket speaks, people listen.
Very few are as well-respected and revered as the Hall of Famer and ultimate trash talker himself, Kevin Garnett, so when he picks out a name who has impressed him, it’s time to sit up and take notice.
Garnett made a career out of talking trash to his opponent and then going out and dominating themGetty
‘Bad ass, cold ass!’ was his simple verdict on Copper Flagg, the teenage talent expected to be the first overall pick in next year’s NBA Draft.
On the latest edition of Garnett’s podcast, Ticket & The Truth, KG Certified, along with Paul Pierce, Garnett sang the praises of a potential superstar in the making.
When asked what young star, under the age of 23 and outside of Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards, would Garnett and Pierce want to build a franchise around they both immediately said Flagg.
The 17-year-old phenom who hasn’t even played a minute of college basketball is who the two Hall of Famers would want to build around.
“I’ve seen Cooper Flagg play against NBA players,” Garnett said.
“So, I’m not going off of that, but when I am gauging a player to see where he is as far as progression and if he’s going to be able to do A,B, and C, what I saw was a great test.”
Garnett was referring to Flagg’s performance for the USA Select Team when they scrimmaged the Olympic Men’s Basketball Team this past summer in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“He’s got that superstar potential that you can come in, put product behind him,” Garnett said.
“I could see kids wanting to be like that and play like that…
“We ain’t have no cold (expletive) white boy like this in a long time.”
The 17-year-old had a great showing over the summer against the top players in the worldGetty
There is a reason the hype around Flagg is as loud as ever for an American born player in a long time.
He is currently a freshman at Duke where he will play this upcoming season, as he looks to stamp his status as the overwhelming favorite to go number one overall in the 2025 Draft.
The 6-foot-9 prodigy put the NBA world on notice over the summer and will surely jump to the top of more than just Garnett and Pierce’s choice of franchise cornerstone when the college basketball season begins in November.
The Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets are just a few teams who could be favored to land Flagg come June.
And would be in desperate need of his services.
But everything depends on how the season plays out in the bid to land to land a place in draft lottery and the chance to select a player with huge potential.
Any team will be lucky to have Flagg as he will make an immediate impact on both sides of the ball, while selling tickets and bringing life to whatever lowly franchise drafts him.
The NBA better get ready, because as Garnett put it, the league ‘Ain’t have no cold (expletive) white boy like this in a long time.”
In 2023, the San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama and last season’s Rookie of the Year looks like being the generational talent to lead The Association into a new era.
Flagg could find himself alongside the French superstar who also landed a silver medal at the Paris Olympics as France were agonizingly close to beat the same US stars that Flagg served up a performance against.
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