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NBA Icon Allen Iverson Shows Major Love to Cooper Flagg

Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson wished Cooper Flagg luck ahead of the NBA Draft.
Justin Grasso|
Apr 12, 2024; Camden, NJ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers great Allen Iverson during the unveiling of the statue honoring him in a ceremony at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Apr 12, 2024; Camden, NJ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers great Allen Iverson during the unveiling of the statue honoring him in a ceremony at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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Allen Iverson has always embraced the basketball stars that have come after him. While there are many NBA legends, who tend to downplay the rising stars of today’s generation, Iverson has always been one to take the opposite approach.

The former Philadelphia 76ers guard is simply a fan of the game.

Recently, Iverson briefly linked with former Duke star Cooper Flagg, and the interaction was caught on camera. Iverson shouted out to Flagg from a distance, before wishing the young forward luck ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft.

“That’s a bad dude right there!” Iverson said of Flagg. “That’s a bad guy! You alright? You excited? I know that’s right. Good luck and do what you do, man. I love watching you play, man.”

On Wednesday, the NBA will hold its annual draft. Flagg’s standing in the draft is the same as its been since he made his NCAA debut. The 18-year-old is the consensus No. 1 pick. The worst-kept secret in the pre-draft process is that Flagg will be joining the Dallas Mavericks soon.

Once Flagg’s name gets called on, he’ll join Iverson in being the NBA’s top pick. For Iverson, he went No. 1 out of Georgetown in 1996. Iverson joined the Sixers and played in Philadelphia until 2006. Since then, he played for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and the Memphis Grizzlies, before making his way back to Philly for a brief stint in 2009-2010.

Flagg will become the new face of the Mavs, just months after they parted ways with Luka Doncic. While Dallas had low odds to land the top pick in this year’s NBA Draft Lottery, they were extremely fortunate to win the Flagg sweepstakes.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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