Elle Duncan makes hilariously embarrassing Cooper Flagg-Ace Bailey blunder before 2025 NBA Draft
The post Elle Duncan makes hilariously embarrassing Cooper Flagg-Ace Bailey blunder before 2025 NBA Draft appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The 2025 NBA Draft is officially here, and as the top prospects funneled into the Barclays Center for the big event, fans and pundits alike celebrated their final moments before becoming pros.
Advertisement
The red carpet was loaded with impressive fits, fans checked social media for the finals scoops before the big event, and ESPN wanted to showcase Cooper Flagg, a player destined to go first overall to the Dallas Mavericks, before he became a Pro.
Unfortunately for anchor Ellen Duncan, that because a lot harder than one may think, with her production staff missing the memo on the assignment.
'Welcome back to SportsCenter. You're looking at Cooper Flagg and in just over an hour from now, that is not Cooper Flagg at all actually,' Duncan noted. 'That is quite famously Ace Bailey. There's Cooper Flagg.'
Pretty rough stuff, right? Well, unfortunately for Duncan, it happened again, with the ESPN staff running another shoe-up video of the prospect that was certainly of Flagg… or was it Dylan Harper?
Advertisement
'I was gonna say a lot of… No, that's not him either,' Duncan said. 'That's not Cooper Flagg either.'
Widely considered two of the top five prospects in this year's class, it makes sense that Bailey and Harper would get plenty of play on ESPN before the big show, but someone is certainly going to get an earful for this faux pas, be that the production staff for using the wrong videos, or her producer running the teleprompter, as something was clearly lost in translation.
In the end, does it really matter that ESPN showed the wrong person before the NBA Draft? Nope, Flagg and Harper both came off the board where they were expected to, while Harper missed out on going to the Philadelphia 76ers, much to his presumed chagrin. But to paraphrase the Phineas and Ferb meme, the mistake may not have happened a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
Advertisement
Related: Dylan Harper can't believe Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey's NBA Draft outfit
Related: Live 2025 NBA Draft grades for every 1st-round pick, trade
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
14 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Big Take: What Lakers' Mega Sale Means for Pro Sports
Late last week, the Buss family, longtime owners of the Los Angeles Lakers, announced that they would sell the franchise for a record-breaking $10 billion valuation. On today's Big Take podcast, host David Gura and Bloomberg's sports business reporter Randall Williams break down what we know about the deal so far and discuss why America's wealthiest families seem to be getting out of the game.
Fox Sports
15 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Cooper Flagg looks comfortable in new home as No. 1 pick gets introduced in Dallas
Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg didn't wait for Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison to break the silence with an opening statement as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft was introduced to a packed Dallas news conference. 'Hello,' Flagg said about the time the clock struck noon Friday. The 18-year-old former Duke star only grew more comfortable from there, two days after walking across the stage in Brooklyn to be greeted by Commissioner Adam Silver. Flagg was deferential to the history of European stars Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic — the latter being the generational talent traded in February, before the Mavs magically landed the potential of their next face of the franchise despite just a 1.8% chance to win the draft lottery. The Associated Press men's college player of the year quickly declared his love for Mexican food and barbecue — the same question all the Texas newcomers get — and easily rattled off Mount Rushmores for the NBA, and the WNBA. For those wondering, Flagg's NBA picks were Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, and he appropriately skipped the last names of the last two. The WNBA choices were Candace Parker, Brittney Griner, A'ja Wilson and, after a brief pause to think, Caitlin Clark, 'because she's changed the game so much.' Of course, Flagg is about to join quite a collection of names in Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson, all three with NBA titles on their resumes. Although fellow Duke alum Irving won't join Flagg on the court until possibly January as the nine-time All-Star recovers from a torn ACL, the Mavs are expecting a return to the playoffs after falling short in 2025, a year after Irving and Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals, where the Mavs lost to Boston in five games. Throw in third-year player Dereck Lively II — another ex-Duke player, and one who visited Flagg going into his only season with the Blue Devils last fall — and there are plenty of reasons to believe Flagg gets a softer landing than many top picks who end up in rebuilding situations. 'He's very lucky to have veterans, future Hall of Famers,' said coach Jason Kidd, a Hall of Fame point guard who was the second overall choice by the Mavericks 31 years ago. 'When you talk about Kai and Klay and then AD, just understanding the vets are going to protect him and help him, and they're going to push him.' Flagg flew to Dallas with Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont and both of their families. Among those at the team's practice facility near American Airlines Center was Mark Cuban, the high-profile former owner who sold a majority stake a year and a half ago to the Las Vegas-based Adelson and Dumont families and is now alternate governor. So was Mark Aguirre, the other No. 1 overall pick by Dallas in 1981. The 65-year-old was just a few seats from Shawn Marion, who played with Nowitzki on the franchise's only championship team in 2011. That row also included Rolando Blackman, a former player who represented the Mavs when they won the draft lottery. It was the first time in franchise history that Dallas had moved up in the lottery. Nearly the entire history of the 45-year-old franchise was represented when Flagg was asked about following Nowitzki, who has a statue outside the arena, and Doncic, whose departure was a heartbreaker for countless Mavs fans who no doubt got a boost with the arrival of the third one-and-done Duke player on the Dallas roster. 'I'm coming in just trying to learn and trying to get better every single day,' Flagg said. 'And I think if I can do that to the best of my ability, I think expectations and pressures that other people will put on me and our team, that will kind of work itself out. So I'm just trying come in and be the best that I can be and just win at the highest level.' The 6-foot-9 Flagg's position is one of the more intriguing questions on the court, and the Mavs will have a void at point guard until Irving returns. 'I want to put him at the point guard,' said Kidd, who sat to Flagg's left on a stage, with Harrison on his right. 'I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he reacts.' There wasn't anything that made Flagg look uncomfortable on his first day in Dallas as a Mav. ___ AP NBA: recommended
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mavericks' Jason Kidd eager to let Cooper Flagg run the show: 'I want to put him at the point guard'
Cooper Flagg will give the world its first sneak peek at his NBA career when the Dallas Mavericks face off against the Los Angeles Lakers on July 10 in the league's annual Las Vegas Summer League. When that happens, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd wants his No. 1 overall pick running the show. Advertisement "I'm excited about giving him the ball against the Lakers and see what happens," Kidd said Friday during Flagg's introductory press conference in Dallas. "Let's get it started, right off the bat." Flagg is a do-it-all forward, the 6-foot-9 kind who led a 35-win Duke team in all five major statistical categories as a freshman this past season. While earning Naismith National Player of the Year honors, he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. The Maine native was the main event at this year's NBA Draft, as he became the youngest draftee to go first overall since LeBron James in 2003. But Kidd is struck by Flagg's maturity. "Just sitting here listening to him, isn't it incredible?" Kidd said Friday. "I mean, we're talking about an 18-year-old who has all the right answers and is talking about working out after this. But when you talk about his gift, he's a basketball player. And he's a winner." Advertisement Flagg is poised to keep winning games in bunches at the NBA level, and that's an opportunity few No. 1 overall picks have enjoyed their first season in the league. Even though the Mavericks had a mere 1.8% chance of winning this year's NBA Draft Lottery, they scored the No. 1 pick. In the process, Dallas — which saw its injury-riddled 2024-25 season end in the Western Conference's final play-in game — became the fourth-longest shot to ever win the draft lottery. In other words, a year removed from making the NBA Finals, and months after sending shockwaves throughout the league when they traded now-former franchise centerpiece Luka Dončić to the Lakers, the Mavericks snuck into the lottery and came out with the top pick. Advertisement As expected, that pick became Flagg, who eventually will be joined by the likes of Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson. Those three are all at least 32 years old, but they have a combined six NBA championships and 24 All-Star appearances. "I think it's a blessing," Flagg said. A lot of people in this position or this situation aren't granted this opportunity. So I just feel really blessed and grateful for the situation I've been given." He continued: "I'm just looking forward to being a sponge. Just getting down here, I'm excited to just learn, soak it all in and learn from the guys that are older and have been through it all before." Kidd was also drafted by the Mavericks, but back in 1994 when Dallas had the No. 2 overall pick after a 13-69 season. The now-fifth-year Mavericks head coach reflected on his own rookie season Friday, noting how he didn't have as many veterans to lean on at the time. Advertisement No player on Dallas' end-of-season 1994-95 roster had more than six years of NBA experience, according to Sports Reference. Experience is one thing, a collection of Hall of Fame résumés is another. Flagg is surrounded by both. DALLAS, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 03: Kyrie Irving #11 and Klay Thompson #31 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrate after a score during the second half against the Orlando Magic at American Airlines Center on November 03, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by) (Sam Hodde via Getty Images) "He's very lucky to have veterans, future Hall of Famers," Kidd said. "When you talk about Ky and Klay and then AD, just understanding the vets are going to protect him and help him. And they're going to push him." Kidd added: "So I think when he's stepping into this situation, there's no better situation for him to learn the game, on and off the floor." Advertisement Even with all of that talent at his side, Flagg isn't expected to take a back seat. Kidd wants him to do a bit of everything. "I think it's a versatile position, doing a lot of different things," Flagg said, when asked about where on the court he'll be playing. "With the team, looking at the roster, we can play a really good brand of positionless basketball with a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things. I think that would be one of [our] biggest strengths, and I think just trying to play to that and just doing whatever I can to help the team win." Kidd said Flagg answered that question perfectly. "Because I don't look at the position," Kidd said. The former 10-time All-Star point guard went on: "I want to put him at the point guard. I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he reacts, being able to run the show." Kidd acknowledged that he'll have Flagg play the 2 and the 3 as well, and it's reasonable to expect him to spend some time at the 4, too. Those positions, though, are comfortable for Flagg, Kidd pointed out. Advertisement "We want to push," Kidd said of Flagg playing some point guard. "And I think he's going to respond in a positive way. It's alright to fail. It's alright to turn the ball over. We've talked about that." The first season of Kidd's four-year stint as the Milwaukee Bucks' head coach was forward Giannis Antetokounmpo's second season in the NBA. Kidd recalled Antetokounmpo — now a nine-time All-Star and one-time NBA champion — failing when he was first given a chance to run point. "But he wanted to come back and have the ball," Kidd said of a young Antetokounmpo. Kidd is confident Flagg will be the same way.
