The NBA world got their first major glimpse of probable 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg in a scrimmage against the Team USA Olympic roster. He held his own, and even excelled, against competition like Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He confirmed the already widely-known belief that he is the best prospect in next year’s draft.
While he is not seen as the generational prospect that Victor Wembanyama was, he is a great No. 1 overall pick. And fans of the NBA are going to spend the next year learning about Flagg before he is taken by the lottery winner in June of 2025.
One of the first things learned about any top prospect is their opinion on the history of the game. And in a video via ClutchPoints and GQ, Flagg broke down his all-time starting five that mostly included Lakers players.
Cooper Flagg on his all-time starting 5 ?
⭐️ Magic Johnson
⭐️ Michael Jordan
⭐️ Kobe Bryant
⭐️ LeBron James
⭐️ Kareem Abdul-JabbarThoughts? ?
(via @GQSports / IG)pic.twitter.com/Xp4u67qV4T
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 11, 2024
This is a relatively standard all-time starting five. In fact, many consider Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to be the top five players in NBA history in some order. It just so happens that four of the five greatest players in league history donned a Lakers uniform for large sections of their career.
In practice, this lineup wouldn’t be perfect. There are some spacing issues, as James is the best 3-point shooter of the five. But the offensive pressure this team could impose in the paint with elite ball movement and crafty finishing, as well as a defense that would be nothing short of stellar, makes it an incredible unit.
Flagg is almost assuredly not going to end up a Laker — L.A. doesn’t own a 2025 first-round pick — but it’s clear he has immense respect for the all-time greats that have worn the purple and gold.
Lakers’ LeBron James voted best player on Team USA
A straw poll conducted by The Athletic of players in attendance at Team USA training camp had a surprise result when Lakers star LeBron James had the most votes for best player, with five. Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards and Jrue Holiday tied for the next-highest total with two votes each while Anthony Davis got one.
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