NBA Draft's Cooper Flagg Reveals Hidden Talent, Handicap on Course
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
At 18 years old, Cooper Flagg was just drafted first overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Draft. He's coming off a season in which he was named ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year, and led Duke to the ACC title and the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament.
Before that, he was the No. 1 high school prospect in the 2024 class. And yet he's still found time to achieve a 14 golf handicap. Impressive.
During a recent interview, Flagg revealed his passion for golf, as well as that he considers his golfing skills his "hidden talent":
Hopefully there's still some time for golf in the offseason 😉
Congrats to @Cooper_Flagg for being the No. 1 pick in the @NBA Draft! pic.twitter.com/t5aVu8vMX9 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 26, 2025
In another interview ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, he revealed his dream foursome of NBA legends:
"Michael Jordan. I know he's a good golfer. I think Steph Curry is a really good golfer, and then I know Tatum plays a little bit, so maybe Jason Tatum."
Golf is an ultra-popular sport among professional basketball stars. Jordan, Curry, and Tatum are three notable examples due to the high level they have reached in their golfing skills.
Another well-known example is WNBA star Caitlin Clark, who has demonstrated her love for golf, although her skills are still a work in progress.
Cooper Flagg answers questions from reporters during media availability at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena on May 14, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
Cooper Flagg answers questions from reporters during media availability at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena on May 14, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.Cooper Flagg was the breakout star of NCAA basketball last year. He needed just one season with the Duke Blue Devils to make his mark on college sports.
The 6'9'' guard averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, leading his team to a 35-4 record and a Final Four appearance. He became the first ACC player in 25 years to record 500+ points, 100+ assists, and 30+ blocks in a regular season.
Flagg earned most of the major national honors, including Naismith College Player of the Year, ACC Player and Rookie of the Year, and consensus First-Team All-American.
Predicted as the No. 1 overall pick virtually since the start of his college career, Flagg actually received the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Dallas Mavericks will count on him next season to round out a roster that also includes stars like Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson.
More Golf: Tony Finau Latest Victim to Withdraw from PGA Tour's Rocket Classic
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
3 minutes ago
- USA Today
Boston Celtics sign Ron Harper Jr. to training camp deal
As we edge closer to the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, teams are starting to prepare for training camp and preseason. This is the point in the summer when players begin to sign Exhibit 10 contracts, in the hopes of either earning a spot on a roster or being given a chance in the G League. Ron Harper Jr. is the Boston Celtics' first Exhibit 10 addition this summer. Harper Jr. will be entering his fourth NBA season, having originally signed with the Toronto Raptors as a rookie. He also spent some time with the Maine Celtics this past season, and will now get an opportunity to make an impression on Joe Mazzulla and his coaching staff throughout the summer. In total, Harper Jr. made 27 G League appearances this past season, split between the Motor City Cruise and Maine Celtics, where he averaged 18.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists, shooting 39% from deep on 8.9 attempts per outing. As the Celtics already have their two-way spots filled courtesy of Amari Williams, Max Shulga and RJ Luis, Harper Jr. will either make the main roster as the 15th and final member of the roster, or join the Maine Celtics in the hope of triggering a bonus should he stay with the team for 60 days. Of course, right now, his only focus will be on making a strong impression and working to improve his game. Watch or listen to the "Taylor Talks Celtics" podcast on: YouTube: Spotify: Apple: Substack:
New York Post
3 minutes ago
- New York Post
The crickets around any Karl-Anthony Towns-Knicks extension talks shouldn't be surprising
An All-NBA selection is up for an extension that nobody is talking about it. The lack of attention to Karl-Anthony Towns' situation is understandable after crunching the numbers, but I still find it noteworthy — and at least worthy of exploration — that the Knicks center has until Oct. 20 to add two years to his contract. After all, he just averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds while shooting 42 percent on 3-pointers. He and Nikola Jokic were the only players with those types of numbers last season. Offensively, it was the best campaign for a Knicks center since Patrick Ewing's prime. Adding two more years to Towns' deal would further align New York's starting lineup contractually. The Knicks just gave a near max extension to a zero-time All-Star in Mikal Bridges. Towns has a handful of All-Star selections, including a fifth last season. Yet, crickets.
Fox News
22 minutes ago
- Fox News
Big Ten Reportedly Proposing 24- or 28-Team College Football Playoff Format
An essential two-team College Football Playoff was exclusive. Making it four teams in 2014 added some flavor. Giving out 12 playoff berths in 2024 made it exciting. How about getting wild and having a 28-team CFP? Well, that's what the Big Ten has in mind. Conference commissioner Tony Petitti has formed proposals that would expand the CFP to 24, if not 28, teams, ESPN reported. The format proposal would eliminate conference championship games, while granting the Big Ten and the SEC seven automatic playoff bids apiece, with the ACC and Big 12 each getting five automatic bids. There would also be two automatic bids for non-power-conference schools and two other at-large teams. In all, there would be 20 CFP games on college campuses. Last season, college football debuted the 12-team CFP, which granted four conference title winners an automatic first-round bye and had four first-round playoff games played on college campuses. Neutral-site matchups began in the quarterfinal round. The Big Ten led the way with four teams in the CFP, followed by the SEC with three. [MORE: How 2024-25 CFP Would've Looked Under Proposed Expansion Formats] As for the 2025 season, the 12-team CFP format remains intact but with some tweaks, such as the top four overall ranked teams receiving a first-round bye as opposed to the top-four ranked conference champions receiving a bye (e.g. independent Notre Dame can get a first-round bye, whereas it previously couldn't because it's not part of a power-four conference). While still being one of the top-five ranked conference champions ensures a playoff berth, it no longer locks in a first-round bye for the top-four ranked conference winners. In the wake of each of the four teams that received first-round byes in last year's CFP losing in the quarterfinal round (Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Clemson), there has been rampant speculation throughout this offseason about altering the format again; a potential 16-team format has been a topic of discussion. Last season, Ohio State defeated Notre Dame in the national championship tilt; both teams were at-large bids. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
