Teenage hooping sensation, Cooper Flagg is sending ripples across the NBA media with his latest pick. In an interview with SLAM, Flagg participated in their rapid-fire challenge, where he shunned everyone with his GOAT pick. Yes, the elusive GOAT debate still lives on, and you have to be an astronomical figure in the NBA to participate in it. The GOAT debate in question is on who’s the best player in the NBA – LeBron James or Michael Jordan?

For the Duke-commit and projected number-one pick, Flagg it’s Team Jordan all the way. For him, he is the ultimate GOAT. No other questions.

“Michael Jordan. He’s the GOAT,” the 6’9″ forward said. In any other scenario, it might not have been such a huge matter. However, Flagg said this after having played a scrimmage against LeBron James at the USA Camp in Las Vegas. It added further gravitas to his claims. It wasn’t the only question he fielded. The 17-year-old crowned Kawhi Leonard, the greatest defender of all time, and named Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird as the greatest WNBA player of all time.

With his selections open to interpretations and judgments, the NBA fraternity once again stood divided.

Cooper Flagg sees support and opposition from NBA fans

Anytime the GOAT debate ignites, the stans of both LeBron James and Michael Jordan are ready to stand on their faith. So they assembled when Cooper Flagg answered some of the most polarizing questions relating to the league. One fan claimed “Bron is the goat but cook“ maybe suggesting apart from his GOAT estimates, he got every question right.

Flagg picking James comes at an unusual time. Generally, it’s the modern-era stars who side with LeBron James while the older slate of legends pick Jordan. But it’s different for Flagg. The buzzing prospect seems to find the methodologies and obsessive mentality of Michael Jordan to be superior to that of King James.

Others weren’t the same. Flagg claims the 85-86 Celtics are the greatest team in NBA history. Some fans weren’t on board with his claim and doubted his ball knowledge. “85-86 Celtics” ye he’s a bust,” a fan expressed.

To be fair, the 1986 Celtics was an assembly of legends, led by the likes of Larry Bird and Robert Parish. In the Finals, they beat their mightiest rivals Magic Johnson and the Lakers in just six games. But of course, the 1996 Bulls and 2016 Golden State Warriors can’t be so easily sidelined either.

But while some admirers only targeted certain picks, one fan had a clever play with words. They labeled the Duke forward “Red Flagg“ in reaction to his answers. Safe to say, this fan wasn’t in agreement with most of Cooper Flagg’s picks.

One fan, part of the LeBron James army, was immensely disgusted with Flagg picking Jordan as the GOAT. Moreover, it even seemed he didn’t like the prospect of The Klaw being the greatest defender of all time. “Him saying Michael Jordan is the goat is worst than saying Kawhi is the best defender of all time,” they wrote on X.

Leonard has earned his stripes to be considered among the most tenacious defenders of all time. Apart from the acknowledgment from his peers about his expertise and compact physique, The Klaw is also a proud two-time Defensive Player of The Year. If not the best, the Clippers ace deserves to be in the conversation for sure.

While such a frenzy is expected, at the end of the day it’s all about perspective. Cooper Flagg has the right to have his own opinion, and so does everyone who picks their sides. These debates, being ever-evolving and everchanging are never going to have a unanimous answer. Everyone sees the game differently. It makes it challenging to settle disputes, but it is also one of the wonderful parts of the game since generational beings always arise that make the masses question their picks time and again.