Calling Michael Jordan His ‘GOAT,’ Cooper Flagg Describes Experience of Meeting Him During Ryder Cup

This past weekend’s Ryder Cup was noteworthy for a few reasons, most of which weren’t great for people on this side of the pond. Team Europe got out to a huge lead going into Sunday singles play, eventually hanging on to win their third Ryder Cup in four years, their sixth in eight, and their ninth in 12.

The crowds at Bethpage Black didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory, as they often spent less time supporting their side and more time crossing the line by yelling inappropriate things at inappropriate times at the European players.

Not everything we saw in the gallery was embarrassing, however, as NBA fans were treated to a brief link-up between the best player of all-time and the next big thing when Michael Jordan and this summer’s No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg met.

Flagg sat down with news anchor Samantha Gannon of Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth for a wide-ranging interview that covered everything from how it feels to join a team with top players such as Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving to his experience at the Texas State Fair.

Gannon also asked him about his meeting with Jordan on the golf course. Flagg said that it was his first time meeting His Airness. “It was incredible,” he said. “To me, that’s the GOAT, so I think it’s just really cool to be able to meet him and have that opportunity.”

Everybody has been clamoring for a piece of Flagg’s time since he established himself as the best player in college basketball during his one year at Duke, so he knows what it’s like to be in-demand, and he was respectful of Jordan’s time. “It was just quick,” he said of the meeting.

“He was just trying to watch the Ryder Cup and he was enjoying his personal time, so I didn’t wanna overstep or anything. I just wanted to say hello and I’m grateful that he even took the time to introduce himself and say hello to me, so it was really cool,” the Dallas Mavericks’ newest recruit added.

Flagg will enter his rookie season as one of the most hyped rookies the league has ever seen. Unlike most No. 1 overall picks, he’s not coming into a situation where he’s on a team bereft of talent, either. This fact is making the Mavs a trendy pick to make some noise in the West, a far cry from the negative feelings that surrounded the team after they traded away Luka Doncic in February.

Flagg’s meetup with MJ was a rare Duke-UNC crossover, but he’ll have fellow Blue Devils Kyrie and Dereck Lively II on his new team to help ease his transition. The Mavs will play their first preseason game on Monday against the defending champion Thunder, with their regular season opener coming October 22 against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. One can only hope, Flagg makes an impression.