Newport native Cooper Flagg has been on an incredible run over the past couple years.
It may very well take him to the top of the NBA one day.
That’s the takeaway from NBA star Kevin Durant, who reflected on Flagg’s basketball performance during an interview on his talk show “Boardroom” released Tuesday.
“See, young dudes is hard to truly understand when you’re playing against a high school competition. You don’t know who’s the best of the best and all knows the best version of that competition. The intangibles that he has, his measureables, his raw talent, I can see that through the TV,” Durant said.
Durant, who plays for the Phoenix Suns, would know a thing or two about that given he’s currently ranked at No. 10 on the NBA’s all-time high-scorers list.
“If you show up every day and be the best you can be, I think Cooper Flagg could be one of the top players in the league for 15 years,” Durant said.
It’s not the first praise that Flagg has received from the NBA greats. Last year, Steph Curry of the San Francisco 49ers and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics both sang his praises. Earlier this year, former Boston Celtic and NBA champion Brian Scalabrine called Flagg’s play during the showdown between Montverde Academy of Florida and Prolific Prep of California “impressive.”
ESPN has ranked Flagg as the No. 1 prospect for boys basketball, regardless of class.
Flagg played for Nokomis Regional High School in Newport alongside his brother, Ace, before the dynamic basketball duo transferred to Montverde in 2022. Flagg has committed to Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
