Could Duke star Cooper Flagg be better than Larry Bird? According to Skip Bayless, yes.
As Flagg and the Blue Devils were preparing to take the court for Thursday’s Sweet 16 game against Arizona, Bayless shared a video on X (formerly Twitter). And it did not take long for Bayless to get into the comparison.
“I’m already trying to figure out if we’re watching the greatest white American player since Larry Joe Bird,” Bayless said. “Heck, I must admit, I’m already asking — probably unfairly — if Cooper Flagg could be better than Larry Bird? I seriously doubt he can be, or will be. But he’s so good, so early, I must admit, I’m not ruling that out. Not yet.”
Bayless continued, pointing out the differences between the two. Flagg didn’t turn 18 until late December, while Bird was 22 when he debuted for the Boston Celtics, turning 23 in December 1979. Additionally, while Flagg plays at Duke — one of college basketball’s most high-profile programs — and is surrounded by McDonald’s All-Americans, Bird played his college ball at Indiana State.
Additionally, Bayless mentioned that Flagg is unselfish, perhaps too unselfish at times, calling it “maddening unselfishness, disturbing and frustrating unselfishness,” citing Duke’s second-round win over Baylor.
“I kept saying to my TV, or maybe yelling at my TV, ‘Just attack. They can’t stop you.’ Cooper Flagg had 15 points at half on just five shots. Wound up with just 18 total points for the game, but he did lead his team in rebounds with nine and assists with six. And of course, I had to keep reminding myself that Cooper Flagg was just doing only what his team needed him to do. Which wasn’t all that much, in this game. And he’s barely 18.”
Indeed, Duke held a commanding 47-30 lead on Baylor at halftime and went onto an 89-66 win. So, there was not a particular need for Flagg to be aggressive, particularly as the game wore on.
“He’s playing with a bunch of McDonald’s All-Americans, trying to keep everybody happy as kind of the point forward for that team,” Bayless said of Flagg. “He’s not playing with a bunch of Indiana State Sycamores, Indiana State nobodies. Remember, he announced his presence, did Cooper Flagg, in that scrimmage against our Olympic team before it left for Paris. Remember, in Las Vegas? He just took over a scrimmage against LeBron and KD and company — and Steph. Just took it over down the stretch. And all of a sudden, we’re all on high alert for Cooper Flagg, 17 years of age.
“Larry Bird got to play in the shadows, all the way, until really, the Championship Game at the Final Four,” added Bayless. “He beat Mark Aguirre’s Depaul in the semifinal. I was there, I watched it. I was in awe. But that was the first time I’d really seen him up close and personal.”
It’s undeniable that Flagg is playing under a brighter spotlight in college than Bird did. The world has changed a lot since 1979. Far more college basketball games in general are on television and things like social media only make the spotlight greater. And even for 1979 standards, Indiana State would not have been getting a ton of national attention.
That said, Bayless’ memory is a little off-track.
Remember, while Bird and Magic Johnson were both NBA rookies in that 1979-80 season, they were not part of the same draft class. Johnson was selected first overall in 1979. Bird, though, was taken the year before, being selected No. 6 overall by the Boston Celtics. NBA rules at the time permitted him to return to Indiana State for the 1978-79 season and join the Celtics the following year.
Did Bird get the same kind of attention in college that Flagg has gotten? No. But he stirred up enough attention before his senior year that a team was willing to use a high pick on him while waiting a full year before he could play for them. That’s not exactly “in the shadows.”
Regarding the comparison between Flagg and Bird.
While wondering aloud if Flagg might be better than Bird places incredible expectations, it’s speculating on what could happen. Flagg might be better than Bird, but he also might not be.
But to wonder if Flagg is already the best white American player since Bird? Admittedly, it’s not a deep talent pool. But Bird was one of four white Americans on 1992’s Dream Team. The other three — John Stockton, Chris Mullin, and Christian Laettner — all came into the NBA several years after Bird. Like Bird, Stockton, and Mullin are in the Hall of Fame. Is Flagg really already better than those guys? Is he already better than Gordon Hayward or Kevin Love? There’s certainly plenty of reason to think he will be. Still, it’s presumptuous to think that he’s already there.