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Good morning! Start your tank engines.
Planting a Flagg: The ascent is now undeniable
Apologies to Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr, the Nos. 1 and 2 picks in last month’s NBA Draft. Your time in the spotlight is gone for the moment. The year of Cooper Flagg is officially upon us.
You may remember Flagg from our story back in February on the 6-foot-9 forward — an incoming freshman at Duke who will likely be the No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA Draft, which would make him the first native Mainer drafted in 40 years.
His profile has been growing ever since, and then yesterday, it hit another level:
- Flagg was part of the select team that scrimmaged against Team USA during its training camp this week in Las Vegas. His inclusion on this floor was worthy enough — legit NBA players made up the rest of the group. A college player hasn’t played on the select team since Marcus Smart and Doug McDermott in 2013, but Flagg hasn’t played a minute of college basketball yet. This kid is still 17!
- Was he nervous? Overwhelmed? Absolutely not, per everyone in the building. In fact, Flagg starred in these games, wowing all players and coaches involved. “You would think he’s already here, you know what I mean?” said Pistons center Jalen Duren.
I can’t get over this. Look at these quotes:
- Devin Booker, Team USA: “You see how bad he wants it.”
- Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat: “Coop was playing out of his mind.”
- Trayce Jackson-Davis, Golden State Warriors: “He’s not afraid of anyone, and he’s gonna go at you.”
These rave reviews came after he played against a roster that, per coach Steve Kerr’s estimation, features 12 Hall of Famers. Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis — perennial All-Defense guys — split time guarding someone born in 2006, and he still managed to help the select team take a lead late in yesterday’s scrimmage.
After these Olympics, the men’s national team doesn’t play again until 2027. Maybe Flagg is on the big roster by then.
Read our full recap on Flagg Day at Team USA training camp, and get to a TV this fall when Duke is on.
Things You Need to See: Elly De La Cruz is MLB’s best base thief
Reds unicorn Elly De La Cruz is just a delight to watch this year. Just look at what he did last night on a routine throw back to the mound:
Elly doing Elly things ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/MHMUR5qbdQ
— MLB (@MLB) July 8, 2024
That must be infuriating for an opponent, but we can cackle at the joy. The 22-year-old does this stuff every night and leads MLB with 45 steals — 16 better than second-place Brice Turang.
Cincinnati might not be having the season it imagined, but at least there’s Elly. Moving on:
News to Know
USMNT’s Olympics roster, explained
Yes, USMNT just played in Copa America, but another American men’s soccer team is heading to Paris — with little overlap between the Copa roster. The program announced its Olympics roster yesterday, with mostly younger players and a coach not named Gregg Berhalter. Why? Men’s Olympic soccer is restricted to players under the age of 23, with three exceptions per roster. The American youth program is stacked, though. Get the full scoop here.
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Dunne returns for fifth year
A gymnast going back to school for a fifth year wouldn’t normally be big news, but LSU’s Olivia “Livvy” Dunne is no ordinary gymnast. She is one of the NIL era’s highest earners, armed with 5.3 million social media followers and national brand deals. (She’s also set up her own NIL collective fund at LSU … while still in school. Imagine telling someone that five years ago.) On LSU’s loaded roster, she provides valuable depth for the defending national champions, as Tess DeMeyer noted in our write-up.
More news
- Keegan Bradley is the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team captain after Tiger Woods passed on the role.
- The NFL suspended Steelers corner Cameron Sutton for eight games after an alleged domestic violence incident in March.
- Hailie Deegan, the only woman racing full time in NASCAR right now, parted ways with her racing company after a disappointing start to the year.
- As expected, UConn and Dan Hurley agreed to an enormous contract after the coach’s flirtation with the Lakers.
Beef (on the) Court? No, they’re saying Ruuune-urns
Contrary to yesterday’s belief, all the drama has not left Wimbledon. Far from it. Look no further than Novak Djokovic, arguably the best tennis player to ever live, and … the crowd:
- Djokovic, the No. 2 seed, is cruising toward a possible final matchup against Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz after trouncing No. 15 seed Holger Rune yesterday in straight sets.
- After the match, Djokovic was noticeably peeved at the Wimbledon crowd, which had clearly thrown its support behind Rune, with “Ruuuuuune!” chants and all. Djokovic, while acknowledging the fun name play, took them as boos.
- Here’s Djoker: “I know they were cheering for Rune, but that’s an excuse to also boo. I know that. Listen, I’ve been on the tour for more than 20 years. I know all the tricks. I know how it works — it’s fine, it’s fine, it’s OK.”
- Sure didn’t seem OK to him, but he’s probably right. Some fans are likely still peeved at Djokovic for a variety of reasons, including his refusal of a COVID-19 vaccine throughout the pandemic and a few on-court behavioral transgressions. Funnily enough, this same bit also happened against Rune in 2021.
Beef Court ruling: I simply think this is good theater. Sorry to Novak, who will face ninth-seeded Alex de Minaur on Wednesday. At least his knee is holding up well enough.
Watch This Game
Euros: Spain vs. France
3 p.m. ET on FOX
The start of a glorious soccer day. France is here despite not scoring a goal from open play this entire tournament. Do they break through? Or finally get caught?
Copa America: Argentina vs. Canada
8 p.m. ET on FS1
The defending World Cup champions are heavy favorites, but Canada has quickly become a fan darling. Imagine if American Jesse Marsch — the Canadian national team manager who openly wanted to coach USMNT — makes a Copa final after the U.S. and Berhalter crashed out in the group stage. 😬
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Remember our note yesterday on Heliot Ramos, the Giants’ unlikely All-Star? Andrew Baggarly wrote a lovely story today on Ramos and how a .158 hitter became one of baseball’s best players.
The U.S. women’s water polo team is going for a fourth straight Olympic gold medal in Paris, but its star player is highlighting the struggle of pursuing the sport she loves … which is where Flavor Flav comes in.
Christopher Kamrani takes his turn making us excited about College Football 25 by remembering the best team in the game’s history: the 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers.
Where does your NHL team stand after a week of free agency? We highlighted one glaring need left per team.
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Some scoop on Scoop City: Our new podcast, featuring hosts Dianna Russini and Chase Daniel, goes live next week. Listen to the trailer here.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: MLB All-Star Game snubs. Tracks.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The non-QB MVP of each NFL roster.
The Athletic’s most-listened-to podcast yesterday: The Athletic FC’s take on whether England should bench Harry Kane. Hm.
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(Photo: Juan Ocampo / NBAE via Getty Images)
