Amid all the media buzz about high expectations heading into Caitlin Clark’s rookie season, two ESPN personalities fear the same could happen to the budding phenom.
On Thursday during their signature show, “Pardon the Interruption,” hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon spoke about Cooper Flagg, a 17-year-old basketball star and five-star prospect attending Duke University.
“Because he’s going to Duke and he’s a white player, there’s going to be a lot of speculation. There’s going to be comments,” Kornheiser said. “It was the case with Caitlin Clark, but that’s the nature of what we’re dealing with here. Hopefully he’ll be a great player, but the pressure on him is immense. Will there ever be a great white American basketball player like Larry Bird?”
“And even if that happens, will he still be a basketball player, or will he be overwhelmed by all these cultural concepts?”
Duke University and a future NBA career. @AwfulAnnouncing/X
Wilbon seemed to agree, suggesting that the relative popularity of men’s and women’s basketball may influence future discussions around race.
“I hope this kid can handle this, Tone, her parents are helping her, her teammates are helping her, but Tony, this is reality,” Wilbon said. “People don’t want to have anything to do with Caitlin Clark. This is new, and it’s even newer in women’s sports.”
“But there won’t be the same hesitation or reservation when it comes to Cooper Flagg and Duke.”
Flagg, the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2024, has captured the attention of the basketball world with his recent impressive performances for the U.S. National Team.
School level. Getty Images
The phenom showed off his skills against NBA big names like July Holiday and Anthony Davis during a scrimmage for the Olympic team in Las Vegas earlier this week.
Clark, meanwhile, thrived as a pro, being named an All-Star in her first season and becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double, and of course, the first Fever player to do so.
But the Iowa native has been highly praised by fans and critics, including winning Rookie of the Year over Angel Reese.
With the NBA’s rookie pool particularly weak, franchises are already eyeing Flagg as a generational star at the top of the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Newport, Maine native helped assemble the No. 1-ranked Blue Devils group of recruits in the country, which also includes fellow five-stars Carman Malouac, Isaiah Evans and Con Knueppel.
Coach John Scheyer’s Duke team reached the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament before falling to fellow ACC school, North Carolina State.
Duke is looking to win its first title since 2015 after losing its top collegiate players, Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski.
