As Cooper Flagg heads into the beginning of his highly anticipated NBA career, the Dallas Mavericks rookie will be playing alongside and against some of the greatest players in the game.
At 18 years old, Flagg has had many professional players to look up to throughout his life, even some stars who finished playing before he was even born.
It should come as no surprise that many of the basketball superstars Flagg considers the greatest of all-time are names many fans puts on their "Mount Rushmore," another way of listing the top four players in a league. Flagg provided both his NBA and WNBA Mount Rushmores during his introductory press conference on Friday.
For the NBA, Flagg listed Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Surprisingly, none of these players are Duke alum like Flagg. He will likely get to face James as the Los Angeles Lakers star will enter his 23rd season. James has already spoken highly of Flagg and how he will fit in nicely with the Mavericks.
For the WNBA, Flagg named A’ja Wilson, Candace Parker, Brittney Griner and Caitlin Clark. Wilson, Griner and Clark are still active in the league, while Parker just retired after last season. Flagg explained that he put Clark on there because of how much she's impacted the game, even though she is only in her second WNBA season.
I asked Cooper Flagg about his Mount Rushmore of @NBA AND @WNBA players:#WNBA - A’ja Wilson, Candace Parker, Brittney Griner, Caitlin Clark#NBA - Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, LeBron, Kobe, #WNBA #wnbatwitter pic.twitter.com/PEuwzq9Fb1
— Dorothy J. Gentry (@DorothyJGentry) June 27, 2025
It's clear Flagg knows ball. Maybe one day he'll be listed on some peoples' Mount Rushmores.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cooper Flagg Names Iconic Players on His NBA, WNBA Mount Rushmores.
