"If LeBron James and Kevin Garnett had a baby": Kendrick Perkins dishes wild Cooper Flagg analogy

Kendrick Perkins had an interesting analogy for Cooper Flagg, comparing him to LeBron James and Kevin Garnett. Flagg is the hottest basketball prospect entering the 2025 NBA draft. Playing for the Duke Blue Devils for only a year, Flagg led his team to the NCAA Final Four, a feat that not many rookies can pull off.

Perkins was impressed with Flagg's abilities on the hardwood in his sole collegiate season. The Blue Devils star averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. His numbers are a clear indication of how well-rounded he is on the floor.

Owing to these characteristics, Perkins couldn't help but compare Flagg to Garnett and James.

“This is how I look at Cooper Flagg. If LeBron James and Kevin Garnett had a baby, you'd get Cooper Flagg,” Perkins said.

"Why I say that is because when you think about LeBron James, you think of a complete basketball player," Perkins continued. "(Flagg) led the (Duke Blue Devils) in everything, that's a LeBron James type thing. You talk about his passion and his tenacity, I'm watching (Kevin Garnett) all over again."

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LeBron James opens up about Cooper Flagg

LeBron James and Cooper Flagg are both number one picks of their draft classes. James was the first pick of the 2003 NBA draft, while Flagg is expected to be picked first in the 2025 NBA draft.

Seeing the level of basketball the rookie has played in his only year, James expressed his thoughts on what Flagg's future NBA team could expect from him.

"As a number one pick, the expectations are automatically put on you, doesn't matter if they're right or wrong," James said about Flagg being the number one pick. "It takes time ... putting an 18-year-old kid in a position where he has to be great right away, I think is unfair, but is something that he can also use as motivation."

Fortunately for the former Duke Blue Devils star, his transition to the big leagues could be smoother compared to James' rookie season. LeBron pointed out the differences in their situation. Back in 2003, James played for a Cleveland Cavaliers team with no star player on the team. At 18 years old, Bron already had to put his team on his back.

Looking at Flagg's situation, if he does end up getting drafted by the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, he'll have a lot of future Hall of Famers by his side, namely, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson.