Duke Basketball Star Cooper Flagg Reacts to Kevin Garnett's Blunt Assessment

Cooper Flagg is the real deal in the eyes of many basketball fans. Even former Boston Celtics superstar big man Kevin Garnett is in awe of the Duke basketball freshman. In an episode last month of the "Ticket & The Truth" podcast hosted by Garnett and another Celtics legend in Paul Pierce, the former NBA Most Valuable Player described Flagg as a "bad--s, cold a-- white boy."

Asked about Garnett's comments, Flagg sounded flattered by it.

"It was definitely kind of a surreal feeling," Flagg told Jonathan Givony of ESPN in an interview. "Because being a Celtics fan, obviously he is a big Celtics figure."

The world is about to know whether the hype matches Flagg's game in the college basketball world. The Blue Devils are set to kick off their 2024-25 campaign on Nov. 4 against, interestingly enough, in a non-conference matchup against the Maine Black Bears at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Flagg is from Newport, Maine, and the Black Bears were among the programs that gave him an offer. Apart from Duke and Maine, Flagg also got offers from the likes of the Georgia Bulldogs, Michigan Wolverines, UConn Huskies and West Virginia Mountaineers.

Widely expected to be a one-and-done in Durham and become the top pick overall at the 2025 NBA draft, Flagg will look to help Jon Scheyer's Blue Devils win a national title for the first time in the post-Mike Krzyzewski era.

Related: Cooper Flagg Is Blowing Up Online After Team USA Moment With LeBron James