"We're super bullish": Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin has high hopes for Cooper Flagg ahead of the 2025 NBA draft

Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin weighed in on the conversation around Cooper Flagg and the 2025 NBA draft. Rubin and Fanatics expressed their belief in Flagg after he signed an exclusive multi-year NIL deal in January.

On Tuesday's episode of "Gil's Arena" podcast, Rubin expressed his strong belief in Flagg’s potential.

“We are super bullish on Cooper,” Rubin said. “We are a big believer. Cooper is as special as anyone.”

Rubin’s comments reflected the growing sentiment that Flagg could be a generational talent destined for greatness in the NBA.

Last season, Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 48.1% from the field for the Duke Blue Devils. Standing at 6-foot-9, Flagg was profiled with elite athleticism, defensive instincts and the ability to score at all three levels by scouts and executives.

He is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

“We’re really thinking big for Cooper,” Rubin said. “We truly believe in him. We’ve been expecting him to go first overall in the draft for a long time now and nothing has changed. At Fanatics, we have the privilege of working with the best athletes in the world. 5,000 of them are under contract with us.”

Rubin praised Flagg's potential and compared his rise to Victor Wembanyama's impressive NBA trajectory.

Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg draws comparison from veteran journalist

Cooper Flagg is just weeks away from making NBA history. The Duke Blue Devils freshman phenom is expected to be the first pick in the upcoming NBA draft. In April, he became the fourth freshman to win the Naismith Trophy.

On Tuesday's edition of "The Bill Simmons Podcast," veteran journalist and former ESPN contributor Chuck Klosterman expressed his thoughts on Flagg.

“I think he's going to have a career like Detlef Schrempf,” Klosterman said. “I think he's going to be a very good player for a lot of years but I don't see him as a dominating player.

"I think that he'll be the second-best player on a good team or the third-best player on a great team. Nothing I saw made me think he's going to be unstoppable.”

The comparison quickly raised eyebrows as Schrempf was a respected player in the 1990s, known for his scoring and shooting but was never considered a dominant two-way player.

Flagg's rise has also drawn comparisons to some of the greatest prospects, with many calling him the most highly anticipated American prospect since LeBron James.