By Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Sports journalist
Even before her grand arrival in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark was already embroiled in debates about her skin color in the United States. The same phenomenon could well affect prodigy Cooper Flagg, according to two famous American analysts.
For now, his name is just starting to be whispered around the NBA ranks. But given his recent performances against the stars of Team USAit’s a safe bet that Cooper Flagg has not finished making waves in the league. At the start of his freshman season on the NCAA courts, the young 17-year-old winger is already at the heart of some pretty heated discussions.
Cooper Flagg treated differently…because of his skin color?
Promised to be the 1st choice in the 2025 Draft, Flagg will obviously have to confirm this status in the coming months under the colors of Duke. Until then, He seems to have already convinced Kevin Durant of his talent. However, the pressure he is about to face could prove to be greater than many of his counterparts… and for a reason far removed from basketball according to Tony Kornheiser ofESPN :
Tony Kornheiser : Given that he’s going to Duke and he’s a white player, there’s going to be assumptions made. There’s going to be statements thrown around. That’s the nature of what we’re seeing here, like with Caitlin Clark. I hope he’s a great player, but the pressure on him is going to be enormous. Is there going to be a new great white basketball player, a new Larry Bird?
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And if so, will he be allowed to just be a basketball player, or will he be overwhelmed by all these cultural notions?
In a country where ethnic categorization is still the order of the day, the success of Caitlin Clark, now a star in the WNBA, has often been associated with his skin color in recent months. Flagg could now face the same risk.
This is in any case the fear that Kornheiser recently expressed in the famous show “Pardon The Interruption”, and that his colleague Michael Wilbon joined in:
Michael Wilbon : I hope this kid has the guts to stand up to that, Tony, and I hope he has the parents and teammates to help him. But Tony, that’s the reality of it. People don’t really dare to get into those kinds of discussions with Caitlin Clark, because it’s something new for women’s basketball. But there’s not going to be that same reluctance with Cooper Flagg and Duke.
The shoulders of the neo-Blue Devil would therefore have an interest in proving solid so as not to crack under the weight of the expectations placed on him and the speeches of which he will be the object.
Like WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark, will Cooper Flagg drag his skin color around as a kind of burden in the months to come? In any case, it is likely to animate debates in the US according to Tony Korheisen and Michael Wilbon.
2024-07-15 19:40:59
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