The NBA is headed towards a pivotal moment in the sport's history in the next few years.
The search for a new proverbial face of the league is underway, with notable stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry close to retirement. While youngsters such as Luka Doncic and Wembanyama could take the mantle, many have already begun looking in the direction of Duke superstar Cooper Flagg.
The ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Player of the Year has been a dominant force this college basketball season, and also shined while playing on the U.S. select team ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Flagg, along with five-star Duke commit Cam Boozer, are viewed as future stars, with Miami Heat forward Kevin Love using them as "examples" of being "unicorns" in a recent interview with ESPN's Myron Medcalf.
"Now, you're getting these guys that are 6-8 plus, 6-10, 7 feet tall, that are just really doing everything out there on the floor," Love told ESPN. "And I think it's just incredibly hard to guard and it's taking the game to a really amazing place as well, because you're seeing these guys that are unicorns out there, guys that are really doing everything and refining their skills, whereas in the past they might not have worked on these things."
Medcalf also highlighted how impressed Love was with their ability to impact the game in all facets imaginable.
A skillset that could lead to Duke securing back-to-back No. 1 draft picks to add to its already impressive count of five. However, before Flagg worries about his NBA future, he and the No. 1 seed Blue Devils are set to battle with No. 4 seed Arizona on Thursday in the Sweet 16.
He will look to do something that Love and every Duke team since 2014-15 has been unable to do: win a title.
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This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 4:16 PM.