No sport’s success is more contingent upon individual star power than American basketball. That is one reason why the NBA and men’s college basketball are struggling to keep pace with the popularity and growth of other sports. Viewership for the NBA is down 48% since 2012.

The NBA’s one-and-done rule, which requires players to spend only one year in college, has prevented collegiate males from emerging as household names while in school. Players go pro before fans learn their first name.

In the NBA, LeBron James is still the biggest star – but not like he was in past years. Whether it’s the politicization of his brand or simply fatigue, LeBron is not the draw he was. He also turned 40 last month, and rumors are that he could retire after next season.

Fox Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd made the point last spring that the NFL and MLB have in place their faces of the league for the next decade, in Patrick Mahomes and Shohei Ohtani. The NBA doesn’t have that. 

The three best players in the NBA are probably, in some order, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. None of them are American-born and, unlike in baseball, that matters. 

American basketball fans have never rallied behind international players en masse. Perhaps their finesse, Euro-style of play is a factor. Chicks dig the long ball and basketball bros dig the slam dunk. There are not many slam dunks between Jokic, Doncic, and Gilgeous-Alexander.

Put simply, men’s basketball needs to identify its Patrick Mahomes, its Shohei Ohtani, and its successor to LeBron James.

Enter: Cooper Flagg.

The 18-year-old Duke guard has the qualities to be that guy, though it’s early. 

He scored 42 points in a nationally televised game against Notre Dame last weekend. His $4.2 million NIL valuation makes him one of the highest-paid college athletes. Nearly every mock draft has Flagg going first overall in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Here is how Bleacher Report describes Flagg as a prospect:

“Duke hasn’t been tested lately, but this current stretch has helped Cooper Flagg further separate at No. 1 on draft boards.

“His epic 42-point, seven-assist game against Notre Dame showcased the entire package of self-creation and counter offense, three-level shotmaking and intelligent passing. He shot 16-of-17 from the line as well, bringing his percentage on the season up to 80.6 percent. He’s making threes (four versus Notre Dame) and delivering more flashes of one-on-one scoring and execution off the bounce.

“Even without the improved shot making lately, he continues to impact games with his athleticism from off the ball, playmaking and defensive presence.”

Check, check, and check.

If nothing else, there should be intrigue about his run in the tournament and potential transition to the NBA. Flagg has the skills, style of play, and personality to be the type of transcendent star that eludes this era of men’s basketball. 

Except, he’s white.

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – JANUARY 11: Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts following a three point basket during the first half of the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 11, 2025 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Cooper Flagg is an American-born white basketball player from Maine. Why does that matter in 2025? Because it does. The basketball community—current players, former players, and media analysts—has shown great resistance to the recent success of white basketball players.

Black women in and around the WNBA made quite clear last season that they resent Caitlin Clark because of the color of her skin. ESPN and Kendrick Perkins cost Jokic an NBA award in 2022 for the same reason. An ESPN article labeled Jokic, without adequate evidence, as the “great white hope.” Black players have called Doncic a “bitch ass white boy” to his face on the court.

In each case, the narrative is that the white players are only popular and successful because white America is starving for white excellence in the sport of basketball. It’s a lie, but nonetheless, the lie is consistent. And we have to imagine Flagg, as his profile rises, will be subjected to the same racial animus as the others.

The likes of Perkins, Gilbert Arenas, and Nick Young must already be seething at Flagg’s stardom. And Dan Le Batard. For years, Le Batard has been waiting to play the race card with the next American-born white male NBA superstar. 

“If [Jokic] were American, good god would he be a star. Good god! Same personality. Same exact personality. Holy s-t! A white dude dominating the NBA? ‘Yeah it’s a white dude, but we don’t know or understand him. Where does he come from? Oh, s-t. What’s his past? His brother is what? What is all that?’ All that is rugged beyond all of your belief,” Le Batard exclaimed last summer.

He’s ready.

Maybe the inevitable racialization of Flagg won’t affect his popularity. Perhaps fans will tune out the racist rabble-rousers. But doing so can be difficult when trying to enjoy a sport in which racial toxicity surrounds the conversation. 

Look at how many times new WNBA fans were called “racist” just for enjoying one of Clark’s games last season. It’s a turn-off. Who would want to support a league that despises you?

So, if Cooper Flagg is actually the answer to the NBA’s ills (it’s still early), the NBA players and media have to decide whether they will let a white boy potentially save the league’s downfall or not.

We are skeptical they will. But Flagg is the first player in nearly a decade with the potential to be that answer.