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Charles Barkley Helps To Keep No. 1 Pick Cooper Flagg From Getting "Big Head"

Shandel Richardson

Mar 29, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) drives to the basket against Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) during the second half in the East Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Mar 29, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) drives to the basket against Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) during the second half in the East Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
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TNT analyst Charles Barkley has been around long enough to know about the "next Michael Jordan."

The phrase has existed since Jordan became an NBA superstar in the 1980s. Many feel few have lived up to that, which is why Barkley refuses to use the label with Duke phenom Cooper Flagg.

Flagg is the expected No. 1 pick in the June draft once his freshman season ends when the Blue Devils are done with the NCAA Tournament. They advanced to the Final Four after Saturday's victory against Alabama.

"This kid is really talented, he's really smart," Barkley said during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. "I can't wait to meet him. He seems like a really nice kid because he could have had - what in my day we called - a "big head". He was the best high school player in the country, he came in with all the pressure on him but he's lived up to the hype."

Flagg is more like LeBron James than Jordan. He has been under the national spotlight since he was a high school sophomore, just like James. Jordan had a little more time and less expectations to develop.

Still. Barkley is excited about Flagg's entrance to the league.

'He hasn't had any missteps - people are out to get you when you're famous, especially when you're a 17-, 18-year-old kid but I'm not going to compare. It would be a disservice for me to compare him to a great NBA player. He's a pleasure to watch... he’s a terrific young player, he looks amazing on television, I can’t wait to see him in the NBA.""

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com