"Really cool experience": Duke commit Cooper Flagg shares a special moment with Orlando Magic's Paolo Banchero after Gatorade Player of the Year win

Cooper Flagg, the future Duke Blue Devils player, won the 2024 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year on Wednesday. Orlando Magic's Paolo Banchero attended a practice at the Montverde Academy on Tuesday to hand the trophy to the top recruit of the 2024 recruiting class.

The player didn't expect the former Blue Devil Banchero to attend one of his practices and shared with the Orlando Sentinel how he felt about it:

"I was a little confused at first, but once it clicked a little bit for me, it was crazy, it’s a really cool experience and it’s really special just to get the award from him. It’s something that I don’t take lightly and I’m just incredibly grateful.”

Paolo Banchero on Cooper Flagg's potential

Flagg has been on Banchero's radar for a little over a year now, with the former Duke star looking at the progression made by the prospect. They met in 2023 during the Jayson Tatum Elite Camp, which was organized by the namesake Boston Celtic's star.

Paolo Banchero shared with the Orlando Sentinel why he wanted to hand out the award to Cooper Flagg:

“It was definitely special, when I first heard about it, they asked me to do it and it was just an automatic yes. I’ve gotten to know Cooper a little bit at Jayson’s camp and then I came to a Montverde game earlier in the year. It’s just been awesome following his journey and to present him with an award like this, it’s dope for him and also myself.”

By winning the award, Flagg joins a select group of basketball stars, including Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns and none other than LeBron James. Despite not having played even a second of college basketball, ESPN already projects Cooper Flagg to be the first overall pick of the 2025 NBA draft.

Flagg is leading the Montverde Eagles on an unbeaten run in high school basketball this season as they chase a national championship.

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