Cooper Flagg ‘Striving’ to Join USA for 2027 FIBA World Cup After Impressive Camp

Cooper Flagg is ready to hit the ground running with his USA Basketball career.

The incoming Duke freshman said he’s set a goal for himself to join Team USA for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.

“That’s something I’m striving for, just trying to be the best I can and, if I can achieve that and then join the World Cup team in two years, I mean, that’s another goal on my list,” Flagg told Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic. “I’m just working and trying to get better every day.”

Flagg, 17, was a standout star of the Team USA training camp, helping lead the select team to a narrow 74-73 loss to the star-studded U.S. roster on Monday. The expected No. 1 pick of the 2025 NBA draft, Flagg was part of a select roster that included rising young NBA players like Jalen Duren, Amen Thompson and Brandon Miller.

“Cooper Flagg was unbelievable,” select team assistant coach Jim Boylen said. “He’s not scared.”

Flagg, the lone prep player on the market, also drew raves from his teammates for his maturity playing against the game’s top stars. LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant lead Team USA for the 2024 Summer Olympics, and Flagg spent much of his time for the select team going up against Anthony Davis.

“I’m not even impressed about the scoring and all that; I’m more impressed about his poise,” teammate Langston Galloway said. “He’s not out there trying to force it like, ‘It’s my turn now. Let me try to get a shot up.’ He’s trying to make plays. You can see he understands the game. Get in the paint, everybody collapses, making the right reads. So that’s the most impressive part of it, for a 17-year-old to be able to understand the game.”

Flagg is the first college player to participate in a Team USA training camp in over a decade, which shows how much faith the coaching staff has in his future prospects.