NBA players were not allowed to compete in the Olympics until the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, where Team USA rolled out the iconic ‘Dream Team’ and took home one of seven gold medals that America would take home in the last eight Olympics.
Duke star Christian Laettner was a member of the Dream Team as the squad’s lone college player, a tradition that has since been done away with. But if it was still upheld today, many believe that incoming Blue Devils’ freshman Cooper Flagg would have a good chance of securing the role for Team USA’s 2024 Olympic Team currently competing in Paris.
Former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski coached Team USA through three consecutive gold medal victories and for the Blue Devils even longer. And recently on the Dan Patrick Show , Krzyzewski was asked if he believes that Flagg was good enough to make the Olympic team this year.
“Not right now, but he will be,” Krzyzewski said. “Hopefully no injuries or whatever.”
Flagg hasn’t played a minute of college basketball yet, but the incoming freshman and top overall prospect for the 2024 recruiting class has already shown he definitely belongs at basketball’s highest level. Putting on a show as the only college player on the Olympic Select Team that squared off against Team USA prior to the Summer Olympics in Las Vegas.
Clips of Flagg’s performance in the now infamous scrimmage against Team USA went viral on social media, making plays against a team comprised of several of the NBA’s top players of all time.
“He’s not only talented, he has a love of the game and he is a competitive kid,” Krzyzewski explained. “I mean he is as competitive as any freshman that has come in to Duke. I’m not saying he’s more competitive than some of the elite guys we had, but as competitive.”
Flagg’s showing versus Team USA garnered respect from several Olympians currently in Paris, including America’s all-time leading scorer in men’s Olympic basketball history Kevin Durant .
“I wish I would’ve went against him in practice,” Durant said following the scrimmage . “But from watching him on the sideline he looked like a hell of a player. Somebody that’s just only going to get better with more experience.”
“17 years old, coming in here playing like he’s a vet almost. No emotion,” Durant added. “Just going out there and doing his job and that’s a good sign.”
Flagg has already been tabbed as a lock to be the top overall pick in the next NBA Draft. A generational talent who surely has the potential to be an Olympian in the future for Team USA with a changing of the guard on the horizon for America as players like Durant, Stephen Curry , and LeBron James approach the final years of their basketball careers.
“He has a game that translates, he doesn’t have a position. He’s just the damn good basketball player and a winner,” Krzyzewski concluded.
The post Mike Krzyzewski considers whether Cooper Flagg can play for Team USA appeared first on On3 .
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