Duke basketball freshman Cooper Flagg has chance to earn spot on Team USA roster

Is it possible that Duke basketball freshman Cooper Flagg could play a game with LeBron James and Kevin Durant before he takes the floor at Cameron Indoor Stadium?

It's unlikely, but the opportunity is certainly there for the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after he is the youngest, and only college player, named to the USA Basketball Men's Select Team, which will practice with the USA Basketball Men's National Team as they prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Flagg becomes the first college player to compete with the men's national team since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart in 2013. Training camp will take place in Las Vegas July 6-8.

The top ranked recruit has been in Durham the last two weeks taking part in Duke's offseason program. The Blue Devils already have one of its star freshman, 7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach, competing in the Olympics with Team South Sudan.

As a former member of the USA Select Team, I know how important and fun this opportunity is for each of these players," Grant Hill, the USA Basketball Men's National Team managing director, said in a statement.

"There is a tremendous amount of talent on this Select squad with the significant job of helping the 2024 USA Men's National Team as they begin their journey to the Olympics. Each of these athletes will play a role in our preparation as we also develop the national team pipeline for the future."

Cooper Flagg participated with Team USA during the 2022 FIBA U17 Men's World Cup, which he was named as the Most Valuable Player, in addition to playing in the Nike Hoops Summit this spring.

In order to make the Olympic team as a replacement, a current member of the roster would have to withdraw due to injury or other circumstances and Flagg would need to excel over the other NBA players during training camp.

It's a long shot, but there is a pathway to the Olympics for Cooper Flagg.