Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Kawhi Leonard, Jayson Tatum.
A stronger national basketball team could not be assembled, this is Team USA, the team that represented the United States at the Paris Olympics, and which they have already begun to call the Dream Team II. Saying that since the first Dream Team 32 years ago (who outscored their rivals by an average of 43.8 points at the Barcelona Olympics.) is the strongest basketball team in the world.
It could be, but this super team could only beat the so-called pick 74-73 in their first practice game, which was made up of marginal NBA players, some G League players and a 17-year-old fresh out of high school old kid as their training partner or rather a slap machine for the stars.
Well, the slapping machine almost beat LeBron James, and the fact that it happened that way is largely thanks to 17-year-old Cooper Flagg.
Flagg first hit a three-pointer on 6'1″ Lakers center Anthony Davis, the league's best defensive player:
Then the star of the recent champion Boston Celtics, Jrue Holiday, threw what is called a half-cycle jumper over his head:
Eventually, he got annoyed with Davis' possession, so he started the counterattack, and after his teammate's three-pointer bounced off the hoop, he put the ball back in the basket, despite being fouled, and managed to throw in an extra ball. Penalty:
Then the chosen team led the final attack, and if Golden State Warriors center Brandin Podziemski was able to throw the ball in, the youngsters would win. But Davis was there, blocked the shot, and Team USA won, 74-73.
According to the NBA coaches sitting in the room, Cooper Flagg was the best in the business.
The 17-year-old has yet to play a college game, although he has already been recruited by the prestigious Duke University, and is just starting his freshman year. According to experts, the 6' 7″ pitcher will be the first pick in the 2025 draft.
Flagg is from New England, Maine, Newport to be exact, but attended Monteverde Academy in Florida for the last three years of high school. Aside from being well-known in basketball circles, he was captain of the 2022 U17 World Championship-winning U.S. team.
