Cooper Flagg recently finished his freshman season with the Duke Blue Devils, concluding one of the best seasons by a first-year player in college basketball history.
Flagg committed to Duke as the No. 1 overall recruit and may have surpassed expectations as a freshman.
He led the Blue Devils to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning the ACC Tournament title. Duke ultimately finished the season with a 35-4 record.
After the season , Flagg declared for the NBA Draft, where he's viewed as the consensus No. 1 overall pick.
The Dallas Mavericks hold the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, so there's a real chance Flagg could be playing alongside several former Duke Blue Devils, such as Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively.
A recent video of Irving commenting on Flagg surfaced online, where the Mavericks star revealed that he's connected with the Duke star.
"We definitely are connected; he's a Duke Blue Devil," Irving said. "I know he can deal with the pressure and I'm looking forward to seeing a great season, not only from him, but a lot of players that are here nationally and internationally. The future is y'alls."
"Kai has faith in Cooper Flagg," posted the official social media account of the NBA Future Now.
Upon the release of the post, some fans took to social media, sharing their thoughts on Kyrie Irving's message to Cooper Flagg before the NBA Draft.
"Ready for the next level," said one fan.
"I have faith in you," said another fan.
"When he gets back Dallas is gonna be a real problem," mentioned one fan.
"W Kyrie," commented one fan.
"I have faith in Cooper too," said one fan.
"how much is Kai worth nowadays," said another fan.
Former Duke forward Cooper Flagg at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine.
Former Duke forward Cooper Flagg at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine.
© David Banks-Imagn Images
During his freshman season at Duke, Cooper Flagg posted 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He also averaged 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, having led the Blue Devils in all five major statistical categories.
Flagg wound up winning the Naismith National Player of the Year, Associated Press Player of the Year and Wooden Award.