Projected 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg on playing Lakers star LeBron James

The 2024 Team USA men's basketball team has compiled one of the most captivating collections of talent in recent history. Stephen Curry and LeBron James are rivals turned teammates for the first time on a competitive stage, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis are making early statements ahead of potential Defensive Player of the Year campaigns, and Anthony Edwards is looking the part of a future MVP.

One of the most compelling developments from the Olympic process transpired before the games began, however, when the national squad met the select team in practice.

The select team was flush with top-tier up-and-coming talent, with few turning as many heads as Cooper Flagg. Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, set the internet ablaze by thriving against some of the best players on the planet at just 17 years of age.

In a recent appearance on The Brotherhood Podcast, Flagg discussed what it was like to match up against LeBron James and the current generation of NBA stars at Team USA's training camp in Las Vegas.

"The first day, for sure, I was nervous. I didn't really know what to think. I got on the court, and I was like, 'Wow.' I was guarding LeBron in the corner and it kind of just hit me for a second, and I had to snap out of it. I think once I got going into it, it was just playing basketball, and I think that's what a lot of players, we share a similar experience. That once you start playing, the nerves and stuff [disappear]...Most of the players that can really perform at a high level, once the tip goes up, it all goes away, for sure."

James is the titan of his era, and his generational influence was put on further display in a matchup against players who may not even debut until after his potential retirement.

Cooper Flagg talks nerves and snapping out of it against LeBron James

Flagg, 17, is the No. 1 ranked recruit in the class of 2024. He'll play the 2024-25 season with the Duke Blue Devils, and has already put together some incredible performances on a major stage, including his showing in the gold medal game at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup,

During Team USA's 79-67 win over Spain, Flagg went off to the tune of 10 points, 17 rebounds, two assists, eight steals, and four blocks—and no, those aren't typos.

A 6'9" forward with a guard-like offensive skill set and immense defensive potential, it's easy to see how James' career has influenced Flagg's development. James surely wasn't the first tall player with a perimeter-oriented skill set, but his emergence as the face of the NBA has impacted basketball at every level.

It's no coincidence that a player like Flagg is such a sought-after commodity in 2024, as he represents the leaguewide shift toward playing through tall and skilled wings.

As James enters what may be the final few seasons of his career, more stories of this nature are likely to surface. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar will turn 40 in December, and most expect the 2024-25 season to be among his last in the NBA.

Considering James signed a two-year contract with the Lakers this summer, Flagg may have another opportunity to match up against the four-time NBA champion during the 2025-26 season.

As the NBA prepares for an era that Flagg is expected to help lead, it's hard not to look back on what James accomplished to help pave the way. A four-time MVP who took what Marques Johnson started as a point forward to the next level, the 3-spot has evolved with James at the forefront of that stylistic revolution.

If nothing else, Flagg versus James on a Team USA practice court could represent an early passing of the proverbial torch for the men's national team.