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Colin Cowherd Makes Bold Claim About Cooper Flagg's NBA Greatness

Ryan Phillips

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg was a consensus first-team All-American and ACC Player of the Year during the 2024-25 season.
Duke freshman Cooper Flagg was a consensus first-team All-American and ACC Player of the Year during the 2024-25 season. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
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Colin Cowherd is never one to shy away from a bold opinion and he brought one to the table on Thursday.

The Fox Sports 1 host claimed Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg will be the best NBA player the school has produced.

"They've had 90 guys in the NBA. I think Cooper Flagg's going to be their best NBA player ever," Cowherd said.

That is big-time bold. Duke has produced a ton of NBA guys, and the list includes stars like Grant Hill, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, and even young All-Star Paolo Banchero.

Flagg has had a brilliant freshman season and is the favorite to win National Player of the Year. A first-team All-American and the ACC Player of the Year, Flagg is averaging 18.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 rebounds during the 2024-25 campaign.

He's a fantastic player but the best Duke has ever produced? That's a tall task. We'll check back in 15 years and see if Cowherd is right.

Flagg and Duke take on Arizona Thursday night in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA tournament.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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